


Mysteries Of A Past Unknown

by Night_the_Dragon



Category: Septiplier - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adopted Jack, Anal Sex, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Because sometimes hugs make everything better!, Best Friends, Electricity Control, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Growing Up Together, Hand Jobs, Hidden abilities, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Protectiveness, Rimming, Self-Lubrication, Shapeshifting, Sound Mimicry, Telepathy, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Warping, lots of hugging
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:48:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27467455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_the_Dragon/pseuds/Night_the_Dragon
Summary: After finding Jack alone in a forest, Mark's family takes in him as their own, and Jack grows up loving his adoptive family. However, he's different from the other kids, VERY different.(CRAPPY SUMMARY, BUT I PROMISE IT'S GOOD!!!)
Relationships: Mark Fischbach/Sean McLoughlin, Markiplier/Jacksepticeye, Septiplier
Comments: 49
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m going with a semi-accurate timeline, mainly in the aspect of ages and some other stuff, but don’t mind me if I’m wrong on some things. But hence the year for the initial time skips.  
> ALSO!!! I’m off work now until the 16th, since I got tested for COVID and it came back positive on the 6th. Not going into details, but in summary, I’m doing fine, just a slight sore throat at this point, and my other symptoms have vastly improved. So I have more writing time while isolating, which is nice~ Thank you!

X*X(Year 1994)X*X

X*X(Mark)X*X

Mark was only 5 when he and Thomas were out playing in the forest behind their house, having fun as summer typically was. Granted, it was late summer, going into autumn, the leaves already falling and a slight chill in the air, but it was still nice. The brothers played out there as often as possible when the weather was good, but even when it wasn’t, they still had fun playing video games inside. Or rather, Mark watched while Tom played and tried to teach him sometimes.

Regardless, they were having a blast, trying to spot some of the animals that would hide upon detecting them due to the noise they made. Tom soon pointed out that the animals weren’t hiding from them, but they seemed nervous, and Mark realized he was right. They watched in surprise as a fox and a squirrel, of all the strange combinations, trotted to them, seeming to ask them to follow.

“Should we…?” Mark asked, looking to his brother.

“…Yeah,” Tom nodded after a moment, and they followed the two animals. What they saw next after a minute was shocking.

There were several other forest creatures crowded around something, birds twittering in the branches overhead in alarm, while squirrels, rabbits, and a couple of other foxes were watching whatever was in the middle. The fox and squirrel that led the boys over moved closer, and the other animals moved aside for them all, revealing a small boy lying on the ground, unconscious.

“Mark, stay here with him! I’m gonna go get Mom and Dad!” Tom told his younger brother firmly, and Mark nodded quickly, hurrying to the boy’s side. The animals watched the humans for a moment more, before leaving the area without a fuss. Mark watched the kid for a few seconds, worried, and then reached out to touch his shoulder, trying to make sure he was okay.

As soon as he made contact, the little boy’s eyes snapped open, glowing a bright green, and those eyes drew Mark in. He stared, frozen, as the glow dimmed after a few seconds, before turning into icy blue eyes. Not even a second later, the smaller boy panicked, scrambling into a sitting position and looking around wildly, looking super confused. After a moment, he practically jumped forward, hugging Mark tightly with a whimper. The raven-haired boy jumped slightly, a little startled, but hugged him back, knowing hugs help with being scared. At least they do for him, anyway.

“Mark!” Mark blinked, looking up when he heard his mom’s voice calling out to him. The little boy hugging him tensed up, scared, as Tom ran over with their parents.

“What happened?” his dad asked, frowning worriedly when he saw the small boy clinging to Mark for comfort.

“Not now,” his mom said firmly, seeing the other boy’s fear. “Let’s take him into the house.”

“Right,” his dad nodded, and Tom went over to try and help, but the boy squealed and trembled, burying his face in Mark’s chest.

“It’s okay,” Mark smiled, hugging the other boy. “Tom and my mom and dad are super nice! You’re okay.” The little boy sniffled, lifting his head to look at the raven, and after a moment, nodded slightly. With a little help, Mark was able to get them both standing, even ruffling the boy’s brown hair playfully and making him giggle. As they headed back to the house, Mark noticed his parents looking at each with a strange look, but he didn’t know what it meant. He guessed that if he asked, he would be told it was a grown-up thing.

When they got inside, Mark kept the boy close to him, wanting to keep him happy. He enjoyed seeing people smile and laugh anyway, but something really made him want to keep this kid that way. Mark’s mom went to the kitchen, fixing some hot chocolate for the kids, while his dad went and got a blanket from the hall closet. The boy let the older man wrap the blanket around him and Mark, cuddling into the raven’s side. Once Mark’s mom had returned with hot chocolate for the kids, the adults sat down with them all in the living room, the two boys on the loveseat, Mark’s parents on the couch, and Tom sitting in the armchair.

“What’s your name, honey?” Mark’s mom asked kindly, smiling.

“…J-Jack…” the brunet whispered, stuttering. Jack pressed further into Mark’s side, still a bit nervous, but relaxed when he got a smile in return.

“How did you end up outside like that?” Mark’s dad questioned gently, not wanting to set the poor kid off into tears or something. Jack’s brows furrowed at that, his face scrunching up as he tried to remember.

“…I dunno…” he mumbled. “I dun remember…”

“That’s okay,” Mark’s dad assured him.

“How old are you, Jack?” his mom inquired.

“Ah… I’m four,” the small boy answered, before perking a little. “I remember my birthday’s February 7th, though!”

“That’s something!” the woman praised. Glancing at her husband, she then looked back at the kids. “Why don’t you boys go rest? Jack, you can share Mark’s room for now, okay?”

At Jack’s confusion, Mark poked his cheek, quickly gaining his attention. “C’mon! We can go play in my room!” He moved carefully so he wouldn’t spill his drink, holding Jack’s hand as he led the younger boy to his bedroom. Tom smiled at them as they went, following behind at a short distance and going into his own bedroom.

When they got to Mark’s room, Jack’s crystalline blue eyes widened in awe at the sight of all the stuff inside. He looked around, staring at the toys and pictures and such, even as the older boy led him to his bed, helping him onto it. Jack couldn’t help but smile as Mark laid down with him, the brunet scooting closer and snuggling up to him. The raven was fine with it, and even hugged him, wanting him to be comfortable as they rested.

When Mark’s parents checked on the two later, they smiled softly at the sight of them curled together, napping peacefully. While they didn’t know how Jack ended up alone in the forest the way he had, it was clear he now had somewhere to call home again. He needed a home and a family, and since he was already so attached to Mark, he couldn’t go anywhere else. But they were happy to give him a home and family he deserved.

X*X(Year 1998)X*X

X*X(Jack)X*X

Jack was now 8 years old while Mark was 9, and they were both in elementary school. Jack had quickly adjusted to life in the Fischbach home, and even though none of his memory from before being found had returned yet, he never dwelled much on it. He was happy where he was, especially when Mark was with him or even just nearby. However…

“Mark…?” Jack called to his best friend from their bedroom. As much as his adoptive parents had suggested him having his own bedroom, he didn’t like the thought of sleeping away from Mark. And the older boy was fine with it, too, so they just shared.

Mark padded back to their room from the bathroom, having just relieved himself and finished washing his hands. “What’s wrong?”

“…Can you…” Jack started, before biting his lip nervously, before waving him in. “Can you keep a secret?” he asked once the other was in the room and the door was shut.

“Of course, Jack,” the raven smiled. “We keep each other’s secrets because that’s what best friends do, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember,” the brunet nodded, smiling at the memory of Mark telling him that. His smile fell, though, as he tried to think of how to explain. “I dunno what’s goin’ on, but…I’m hearin’ things… And I don’t mean bein’ scared and stuff.”

“Huh?” Mark frowned, confused. Jack sighed, furrowing his brow in thought, before Mark then heard a familiar voice in his head.

‘ _This is what I mean,_ ’ Jack’s voice said in his mind. His mental voice even kept his Irish accent. None of them could figure out how he’d even gained an Irish accent, since no one had ever spoken around him like that, or even mentioned Ireland. The smaller boy’s mouth hadn’t even moved as the words were said, and Mark’s eyes widened in shock.

“You can read minds?!” he nearly yelped, remembering to keep his voice down. Jack nodded timidly, hoping his best friend wouldn’t think he was a freak for it.

“Sometimes… I can hear other people, and I can talk in their mind, like I just did with you,” he explained. “You don’t think it’s weird?”

“No way!” the older boy grinned. “Maybe we can figure out Christmas presents before they get here that way!” Jack gave him a look of dismay.

“Nuh-uh! That’s not right!” he protested. “Santa would be so mad!”

“Dang it, you’re right…” Mark groaned. Mark hugged him, though, grinning again. “I promise I won’t tell anybody, Jack.”

“Thanks, Mark,” the younger murmured gratefully, hugging back. He didn’t want to use it if he could help it, not wanting people to figure anything out, but it would prove handy in a pinch.

That sort of pinch came a little too soon for Jack’s liking, when Monday arrived and they had to go to school again. While Jack was in 3rd grade, Mark was in 4th, and although their classrooms were close, Jack hated the distance. He just made up for it during lunch and recess, being sure to hang out with him and their friends then each day.

The morning practically crawled by, it felt like, and then they were all dismissed for lunch. Jack grabbed his lunchbox and hurried off to meet with the others as usual, but he felt like something was off. He couldn’t tell what exactly, but he kept his guard up, thankful his senses were sharper than everyone else’s.

He grinned as he reached Mark’s side at their table, scooting in next to him and giggling when he got a playful poke in the side. The brunet batted his hand away, making their friends laugh.

“You guys are so funny,” Bob laughed, taking a bite of his sandwich, and Wade nodded, grinning. The two boys were in Mark’s class, but they’d quickly taken a shine to Jack when they met him.

“I aim to please!” Mark declared, laughing when Jack did. They ate their lunches happily, chatting about this and that, and then went outside to play when they finished. As they got outside, Mark paused.

“Dang it, I should put our lunchboxes away so no one takes ‘em,” he pointed out, and Jack nodded. “I’ll be right back!”

“We’ll be out here,” Wade laughed, making the raven roll his eyes as he left.

“So, what do we wanna do today?” Bob asked them.

“I dunno… We can wait for Mark by the tree for now, then decide when he comes back,” Jack suggested.

“Sounds good,” Wade shrugged, and they began to head to the tree they hung out at often.

As the older boys got a bit ahead, Jack was suddenly grabbed, a hand over his mouth and muffling his startled squeal. He was horrified when he came face-to-face with one of the bullies from the 5th grade class, Randall, and whimpered behind the hand silencing him.

“They can’t hear you now, runt,” he taunted, pinning him against the brick wall. Jack shook with fear, knowing Randall was right; no one would hear him like this. Unless…

‘ _Mark, help me, **please**! Randall’s got me and he covered my mouth so I can’t scream!!_’ he thought desperately, hoping his best friend heard him. As Randall was about to hit him, Jack squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself, but then he heard Mark shout angrily before tackling the older boy, making him release Jack.

“Don’t you touch him!” the raven yelled, keeping the bully on the ground. Teachers intervened soon enough, and after calling the parents for both Randall and Mark and Jack, they got the story and Randall was suspended. They respected that Mark was defending his best friend, but asked him not to hit others if he could help it.

Upon getting home, their parents assured Mark he wasn’t in trouble, since he’d done the right thing in protecting Jack. The two boys went to their room, and Mark hugged Jack on their bed, as usual.

“…I heard you, when you were in trouble,” the older boy told the brunet, making him look at him with wide eyes.

“You did?”

“Yeah. I hope you don’t have to use it like that a lot, but I’m glad you can,” Mark smiled, and Jack nodded, relieved.

“Same here.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I’ve already gotten a few guesses thrown to me by phonenix: Fae, elf, leprechaun, and Tuatha Dé Danann, none of which are correct. I will specify that he is a mythological CREATURE, not part of a race. Also, I’m keeping Mark’s parents together for the sake of the fic and so there’s a bit less angst. Again, I know it's another short chapter, but I'm fairly certain I'll be able to lengthen the future chapters after this. No promises, but I'll try!

X*X(2003)X*X

Now the two boys were in middle school, both in 7th grade with the same classes. When Jack was in 4th grade still, he had once expressed his worry to Mark about they being separate when the school year ended, not wanting to be without him. So Mark made the decision to purposely fail so he could stay with Jack. Although their parents weren’t happy with it, they understood, knowing how Jack was so close to him.

Sometimes the brunet felt bad, thinking he was tagging along too much, but the older boy assured him he’d rather have Jack with him and happy. And he was. Bob and Wade had shaken their heads at Mark’s reasoning to purposely failing, but they understood. They were glad to have their group together again once they were all in middle school, too.

What was strange was that, when Jack turned 10, he discovered he could walk on walls and ceilings. He had been playing with Mark, the two talking excitedly about Spiderman, since he was one of their new favorite superheroes, when the raven had decided they could have a little play session, pretending to be Spiderman. Jack was eager to do that, and he began to pretend he was crawling up the wall…but then he actually _did_ , shocking them both.

Mark was a bit jealous at first, but he just shrugged and said that means Jack can be the better Spiderman. Of course, they agreed to keep it as another secret of theirs, with no one else knowing.

Jack smiled to himself at the memory, coming back to current when the bus stopped, having arrived at the school. He yawned, still a bit tired from having to wake up early for school.

“You okay?” Mark asked next to him, chuckling.

“Yeah, I just hate gettin’ up early…” the younger teen sighed.

“I know, but at least it’s Friday. After today, we get to sleep in for the weekend!” the raven pointed out with a grin. Jack nodded eagerly, and then they exited the bus together.

What was nice about how protective Mark was with Jack was that all the students knew not to bully Jack because of Mark. Bob and Wade being present reinforced the message, since they were taller than the other two, but it was good to have that safety. Especially after the incident with Randall before.

The two boys went through their day, as usual, meeting with Bob and Wade at lunch, and then moving on to their remaining classes after. During their last class, Jack felt a little weird, like he had static built up from something. Glancing at Mark, he caught his eye, and the older teen nodded minutely.

‘ _I feel like I’m super staticky… Is my hair stickin’ up or anythin’?_ ’ the brunet asked, using his telepathy.

‘ _No, you look fine. Do you think you can hang until we get home? We only have 10 minutes until the bell,_ ’ Mark replied.

‘ _I think so. Guess we’ll see…_ ’ Jack shrugged, trying to focus on his notes again. Once the bell rang, the boys picked up their things, slinging their backpacks on, and then hurried outside to the school bus. Jack noticed the static feeling improved when they got outside, even as they got on the bus, so he let Mark know.

‘ _Feels like it’s gone now,_ ’ he told him.

‘ _Good! Keep an eye on that, and we’ll see if we can figure it out if it happens again,_ ’ the raven instructed, and Jack nodded with a smile. By the time they got home, Mark was rambling eagerly about playing the new Jak 2 game, which they’d convinced their mom to buy when it came out last week. Even though it was rated T, their mom had caved when their dad assured her it would be fine. He just made them promise to not use that language until they were a bit older, and even then, be responsible about it. The teens had eagerly agreed.

“We’re home!” Mark called out when they got inside, the teens toeing off their shoes to leave in the closet by the door.

“Hey guys, good day?” Thomas asked from the living room. He had the TV on in the background as he read a book.

“Yeah, boring as usual, though,” Jack laughed.

“We’re gonna go play on the PS2, Mom!” Mark told their mother.

“Okay! Just listen when I call for you for dinner!” their mom called back. Mark winked at Jack at that, knowing Jack’s enhanced senses would help regardless. The brunet giggled, and they went to their room, dumping their backpacks by the closet and changing into pajamas. They kept their backs to each other out of respect, though.

“Ready?” the older teen asked once Jack sat next to him in front of their TV. They only used it to play video games on, so they couldn’t watch cartoons or anything on it, but that was fine.

“Duh, let’s play!” the smaller teen teased. As Mark turned on the PS2, though, he yelped as the console shocked him, yanking his hand back. “You okay?”

“It shocked me!” Mark whined, frowning at their console. “What the heck?”

“Weird…” Jack mumbled, but then his eyes widened when he saw the light for it was completely off, like it was unplugged. “Oh crap! I think the PS2 died!”

“Huh?” The raven then noticed it, too, and groaned. “Aww, no! This sucks!”

Jack frowned to himself, moving over and trying to see if some of the cords were loose or something. As he touched the console, Mark watched him, hoping he could somehow fix it. The teen’s jaw dropped, though, when he realized Jack’s eyes were glowing bright green as he messed with the PS2, and then it turned on. The brunet sat back down next to him, and he looked at Mark, his eyes blue again.

“What?”

“Dude! Your eyes were glowing green while you were trying to fix it!” the raven exclaimed. “How’d you even fix it?!”

“I just felt that static feeling again, and I imagined letting it run into the PlayStation…” Jack answered quietly. “I didn’t realize my eyes turned green when I did it…”

“Well, they’re back to blue now, which is good, and the PS2 is fixed, which is even better,” Mark grinned. “I guess this means you can control electricity, then?”

“Seems like it,” the younger teen smiled. Mark then started up the game after putting in the disc, and the two watched the opening scene, laughing at Daxter’s quips, jokes, and insults.

As they progressed, swapping the controller between themselves every 30 minutes, Mark asked, “What are you gonna be for Halloween?”

“I’m not sure…” Jack admitted, frowning.

“You should be Spiderman! You can just stay on the ground, though,” the raven suggested. Jack burst out laughing at that.

“But then it’s pointless! Spiderman swings around and climbs stuff!”

“You can’t swing on webs like him, though, either, so it’s fine!” Mark argued.

“Okay, yeh might be right,” the smaller teen conceded, snickering at Mark’s huff.

“Of course I’m right!” He then suddenly started tickling Jack, making him squeal and jolt away. He didn’t get far, and Mark paused the game before pinning Jack and tickling him mercilessly.

“AH!” the brunet yelped, laughing through his protests and struggling to tell Mark to stop. Suddenly, he felt an odd shift in him, and he squirmed away, but it felt really weird. He stared at his best friend, who was staring back in complete shock. Jack opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but all that came out was a little whine.

“Jack… You turned into a fox…!” Mark breathed, before scrambling to grab the mirror they kept on the dresser. He turned the mirror so Jack could see his reflection, and sure enough, the brunet was now a small fox.

‘ _I don’t know what happened!_ ’ he wailed to Mark through his telepathy. ‘ _How do I change back?!_ ’

“It’s okay, just… I dunno, try imagining yourself?” the raven suggested, scratching his head. Jack nodded and closed his eyes, trying to do just that, and after a few seconds, Mark gasped. “You did it!”

The younger teen opened his eyes again, and saw his reflection again, this time back to normal. “Holy crap, that was weird…!” he groaned, slumping back against the wall.

“Yeah, but you were so cute!” his friend grinned. “I wonder if you can turn into anything else?”

“Maybe, but I don’t really wanna try again yet…” Jack sighed, moving back over to sit with Mark.

“I understand. Don’t worry too much for now, okay?” Mark assured him, hugging him briefly. He picked up the controller to resume the game, but then Jack perked when he heard the call for dinner.

“Dinner’s ready, Mark. Let’s go get somethin’ ta eat, yeah?” he smiled, and the older teen nodded, thanking him for letting him know as they got up to go eat. Another secret for them alone, but they didn’t mind.

X*X(2006)X*X

Another few years had passed, and by this point, the friends were in high school, Jack and Mark being sophomores while Bob and Wade were juniors. Well, they were on summer break at the moment, Mark having just turned 17, and would be moving to the next grade when school started again, but regardless.

Mark had joined the wrestling team during the previous school year, and it showed how strong he was. Jack made sure to be at every match and practice, just watching. Sometimes he’d get his homework done while waiting, but otherwise he had fun spectating and cheering for Mark during matches. What made it even funnier when he would cheer was that he was the loudest one, and Bob and Wade would sometimes tease him for it, but they liked the energy he brought and shared.

After the discovery that Jack could shapeshift into a fox, Mark tried seeing about other animals with him, but there was only one other: a cat. It wasn’t a huge fuss, and Mark had told the younger teen he thought he was cute as either animal, making Jack blush and grumble that he wasn’t cute.

As for the brunet’s electricity control, it had definitely come in handy. They each got a cell phone last Christmas, and had loved being able to text their friends. They didn’t worry about texting each other, since they were usually so close to each other that Jack’s telepathy did the trick anyway. There had been a few times that Mark’s phone had died from not being charged, and Jack had used his electricity to give it a quick charge until they could get home to charge it.

At the moment, though, the teens were watching a horror movie, and had huddled under a blanket together, since their parents were out of town for something, and Tom was at a friend’s house for the night. Mark had promised to call if anything came up, and they were left with some cash for a pizza to be delivered.

Once night had fallen, though, the two decided to watch a horror movie with the lights off. The thunderstorm that rolled in as Jack put the movie in just made it that much spookier, and he couldn’t help but whimper out of fear and press closer to Mark for comfort at the scarier moments.

The movie was over halfway through, and it felt like it was building up to something bad, but they couldn’t tell exactly what. Without warning, a loud bang sounded from the movie as the character they were watching got attacked by the killer, and was closely followed by a boom of thunder, scaring the hell out of Jack.

“Fuckin’ Christ!!” he shouted in alarm, and suddenly found himself across the room, braced against the wall. He blinked, startled, trying to calm his racing heart as he tried to figure out what just happened. “Uh…”

Mark stared at him, blinking owlishly, before bursting out laughing. “I think you just teleported or something, dude!”

“I did?” the brunet frowned, as he rejoined his friend on the couch.

“Pretty sure, man,” the raven chuckled. “Now you can warp, too! Holy shit!”

“How many does this make now, then?” Jack wondered, laughing a bit. “Gotta admit, I lose track sometimes.”

“Let’s see… You have telepathy, can walk on walls and stuff, control electricity, shapeshift, and now you can warp,” Mark listed. “You have five abilities!”

“I’m gonna count havin’ enhanced senses as a sixth,” the younger teen snorted.

“You could seriously be a superhero at this rate,” his friend smirked.

“No way! Do you seriously think someone would be afraid of a cat or fox comin’ at ‘em?” Jack scoffed, quirking a brow.

“Of course not, but it’d be cool,” Mark snickered. “C’mon, let’s finish the movie, and you try not to warp away again.”

“No promises there,” the brunet smirked, settling against the raven again.

As Mark was about to play the movie, he added, “Side note: let’s not tell Mom, Dad, or Tom about us cussing like that, okay?”

“I’d rather we not get chewed out, so hell no.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a little help in figuring out Jack's mysterious past, I wanna emphasize that he's MY version of the creature. He has more going for him than just the typical creature, so take that as you will~


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, a longer chapter! I got only 5 or 6 pages in the last two, so I’m glad I was able to extend this one, and it’s 9 pages!

X*X(2011)X*X

“I still can’t believe you managed this, Mark,” Jack said, looking around in awe.

“Well, duh, of course! I’d rather it be a good place and not a complete shithole,” Mark chuckled, tugging over one of Jack’s suitcases. “I just feel bad it took a bit longer to get you out here.”

“It’s okay, I promise! It sucked bein’ away from you, but the Facetime calls helped,” the younger man assured him, hugging him.

A year after they graduated high school, Mark had quickly started looking into a place for them to move to, since they knew living at home wasn’t possible forever. He became interested in Los Angeles, and was able to secure a house to move in to. Jack had to stay behind so Mark could get everything set up, and then he’d fly out there when it was ready.

They would have done this sooner, but with their dad passing from cancer less than two months after graduation, they knew they needed to stay and help with the arrangements and such, and to support their mom. After two years had passed their dad’s passing, Mark started doing the research for them.

Now it was almost February, and Mark had flown back for the holidays, and to bring Jack with him to the new house once he’d gotten all of his things packed. Now the younger man was gazing around their home with wide eyes, amazed by how big and just perfect it was. His friend hadn’t sent him a single picture the whole time, not wanting to spoil it, and now he was glad he hadn’t.

“There’s even a pool in the back,” Mark said suddenly, making the brunet stare at him in surprise.

“Really?! Awesome!” he grinned. “We’ll have ta try it out later!”

“Plenty of time for that, Jackaboy,” the raven chuckled, using the nickname he’d come up with in their senior year.

“Can’t blame me for bein’ excited, Markimoo,” Jack shrugged, smirking upon using his own nickname for Mark.

“You’re _always_ excited, though,” Mark pointed out as they began to take his suitcases upstairs.

“I won’t deny that~”

They went to what was now Jack’s bedroom, and the brunet’s eyes widened before he grinned happily.

“I swear to fuck, you spoil me, Mark!” he exclaimed, turning and hugging him. “You’re the best, ya know that?”

“Hey, you deserve it! You worked your ass off with everything after Dad, making sure to take care of Mom, and you deserve good things, all right?” the raven smiled, hugging him back.

Jack’s new bedroom was fully furnished and had already been somewhat decorated, but there was still plenty of space for more decorations and such for him. The bed was a full-size, with a dark red comforter over it. There were black swirls scattered on it for the pattern, and matching pillows resting against the headboard.

A small bookshelf was placed in the corner, and although it was empty, there was a set of dragon head-shaped bookends on top, ready to be used. A wooden dresser sat next to the closet, and a desk with a hutch was against another wall, all set up with a new computer and all. There were even shelves mounted on the pale grey walls for more knick-knacks and collectables.

The bedside table had a lamp on it within easy reach of the occupant of the bed, and a framed picture of Mark and Jack from when they were kids was placed on it.

Jack remembered that picture easily. That day was not long after he’d been taken in by the Fischbach family, and he’d hugged Mark tightly, ecstatic to be able to stay with him. Mark had laughed as he hugged him close, both boys grinning from ear-to-ear.

“It means a lot to me, Mark, you know I don’t ask for much…” Jack murmured, gazing at the picture.

“Which is exactly why I spoil you,” Mark chuckled. “Do you want some help unpacking?”

“I think I’ll be good for now, but I’ll let ya know if I need the help,” the brunet assured him, moving to set down his backpack by the bookshelf. He’d used it as his carry-on bag for the flight.

“I’ll be downstairs, Jackaboy,” the older man told him, before leaving to go downstairs.

Jack smiled to himself as he got to work, unpacking all of his stuff from his suitcases and putting them away or setting them up. He even went onto the ceiling to tack some posters up easier, and climbed the walls to put some of his figures on the shelves. Once he found his string of lights, he set it up to hang above the head of the bed, carefully tacking it in place. Satisfied with the placement, he then let his electricity control light the bulbs, allowing a neon green glow to cover the bed.

By the time the brunet finished putting away all of his clothes and everything, it looked really nice. Even though there were still gaps on the shelves and such, that just meant more room for future items. He’d even gotten a good portion of the bookshelf filled with his video games. Best to show Mark now.

‘ _Hey Mark, wanna come see?_ ’ he thought to his friend, feeling happy to be able to do that again. He hadn’t been able to use his telepathy with Mark in too long, and had even refrained when he came back for Christmas. The only use he had for it during the time they’d been apart was to read others’ minds, and he tried not to pry. It felt wrong.

‘ _Be right up!_ ’ the raven replied, and then his footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. When he got to the doorway, he gasped, and then grinned excitedly.

“It looks awesome! Much more personal and you,” Mark complimented. He then took notice of the posters tacked higher up, and the lit-up string of green lights that wasn’t plugged in. “Used your abilities to do some of this, huh?”

“Duh,” Jack smirked. “Why not?”

“It’s good to hear you in my head again like that, Jack,” the older man commented suddenly. “As strange as it sounds out of context.”

“Then it’s good you’re in the loop,” the smaller man chuckled. “But I agree, it’s good to use telepathy with you again. I had to keep myself from peekin’ at others’ thoughts. It felt wrong, despite my curiosity.” He made a face, wrinkling his nose.

“Don’t blame ya,” Mark laughed lightly. “Are you hungry yet?”

“You bet,” Jack nodded, grimacing when his stomach practically snarled at him in protest for not eating anything since that morning before they left. He’d been so awed and excited when they got here that he forgot to eat.

“I’ll order some pizza, but tomorrow we can go out to celebrate properly, kay?” the raven smiled as he left back downstairs.

“Sounds good! But you better not fuck with the pineapple on my pizza!” the brunet yelled. Hearing Mark cackle, he warped down to the kitchen, making his friend yelp when he appeared in front of him.

“Fucking god dammit!” he swore. “Jack, don’t scare me like that, geez!”

“Then you make sure they put pineapple on mine, ya doof!” Jack huffed, pouting. “I know you don’t like it as much, but I’ll pay for my own if that’ll make ya feel better.”

“I’m paying, and that’s final,” Mark snorted, picking up his phone. “I just haven’t had you warp around me in a while, so you about scared the shit out of me.”

“I’ll try not ta scare ya so much, then,” the younger man snickered, grinning at the older man’s eye roll as he put the phone to his ear. He rattled off their usual order to the person on the other end, and once he gave his card information for them to charge over the phone, he thanked the person and hung up.

“It’ll be here in 20 minutes. Can you hold out until then?”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“Nope.”

“Then I guess I can.”

“Wanna figure out a movie to watch while we eat once the pizzas are here, at least?” Mark asked, starting to head to the living room.

“I got a better idea,” Jack smirked, shifting into a fennec fox (they’d realized that was the fox he’d turned into the first time later on) and bounding onto the island in the kitchen, then onto Mark’s head, bouncing off and landing on the couch. He chirped at his friend’s startled yelp, wagging his tail.

“Aww, come on! You wanna play this right now?” the larger man groaned, but he smiling nonetheless.

‘ _You know you have fun watchin’ me play like this~_ ’ the younger man giggled, chirping again. ‘ _I have fun, too, so we both win!_ ’

“Yeah, yeah,” Mark chuckled, moving to a small basket he had in the corner of the kitchen on the counter. He came back holding a small remote, and then pointed it at the floor, clicking the button, and Jack was off, scrabbling after the laser pointer dot.

The two played like that for about 15 minutes, Mark moving the laser pointer around and leading Jack along to chase after it eagerly. He bounded this way and that, jumping off of furniture and scrabbling his claws against the hardwood floor in his frantic chase.

They froze, however, when the doorbell rang, and Jack was quick to shift back, hiding in the kitchen so he wouldn’t be seen, his cheeks red from embarrassment. Mark answered the door after putting away the laser pointer, and after closing the door, he went to the kitchen, setting the boxes on the island.

“You okay?” he asked worriedly.

“Fuckin’ hell, I panicked ‘cause I thought we would get caught…” Jack whined, dragging a hand down his face. “I sometimes gotta remind myself no one else knows…”

“It not like we’re living with Mom anymore, though, so we don’t have to worry about anyone waltzing in and seeing this stuff,” Mark pointed out. Moving over to the younger man, he hugged him and added, “That’s why I did all of this. I wanted to make sure we could be comfortable and you would feel safe. You won’t always have to be so cautious here.”

“…You’re always so considerate of me, Mark… You have no idea how much that means to me…” the brunet whispered, squeezing back.

“I was the first person you trusted, Jack, and I want to keep your trust. We didn’t even know each other back then, but you just…trusted me explicitly from day one, without a second thought. I don’t ever want to break that,” the raven explained.

“I still don’t know how fuckin’ lucky I was to end up there and be found by you and Tom, but I don’t question it,” Jack mumbled, feeling tears forming in his eyes. He pulled away with a sniff, smiling at his friend. “Let’s eat our pizzas before they get cold, yeah?”

“Definitely,” Mark agreed, and they sat down together, just putting on something from Netflix, and munching on their food.

“What do you want to do for your birthday, by the way?”

Jack blinked, surprised by the sudden question, and swallowed his mouthful before answering.

“I…actually don’t know…”

“How about Disneyland? I haven’t gone yet, since I didn’t want to go alone, and that way, we can go together,” the older man offered, immediately making the smaller man perk.

“That’d be awesome!” the brunet exclaimed, grinning eagerly. “It’ll be fuckin’ amazin’!!”

“Absolutely!” Mark laughed, and they settled back against the couch again to finish their dinner.

By the time the movie had ended, Jack felt about ready to fall asleep at any moment, his eyes drooping and yawning every other minute. He felt Mark get up from the couch, heading to the kitchen with their leftovers, and putting them away before coming back over to Jack.

“C’mon, bud. Let’s get some shuteye. We’ll set up your new computer in the morning,” the raven murmured, helping Jack up. Jack couldn’t help but lean heavily against him, completely drained. When they got upstairs, Mark asked softly, “You wanna share my bed for the first night?”

“Mm-hmm…” the younger man mumbled tiredly. His friend helped him to his own room, telling him to get changed first, then come to his room. Jack barely managed to do so, fumbling with everything he tried to grab and/or hold because of his exhaustion, but he eventually got changed into sleep pants and an old t-shirt before thinking, ‘ _Fuck it,_ ’ and warping to Mark’s door.

“Come on in, Jackaboy,” that familiar voice called, amusement obvious in his tone, and Jack opened the door, stumbling in. Mark was quick to catch him, chuckling as he helped get him in bed. “Goodnight, Jack. Welcome home~” the larger man whispered, holding him close as they settled under the covers.

“G’night, Markimoo… Good to be home…” the brunet breathed out in a tired sigh, a soft smile curving his lips as he drifted off to sleep.

X*X(Jack’s 21st Birthday)X*X

It was finally Jack’s birthday, and he and Mark were going to Disneyland to celebrate, having gotten the tickets and such prior. He sat up in bed, groaning as he stretched his limbs and made the joints pop, settling with a yawn before perking when he heard Mark cooking in the kitchen. He remembered Mark had told him to wait to come downstairs until the older man gave the okay, but he was excited.

‘ _Mark? Can I come down yet?_ ’ he asked his friend via telepathy.

‘ _Not just yet, Jack,_ ’ was the amused reply. ‘ _Use the bathroom if you need to, but just hang tight, buddy._ ’

Jack pouted, but went to use the bathroom and take a shower anyway. While washing up, he thought about how much better he’d gotten over the years. When he first came into the Fischbach family’s lives, he was so clingy with Mark, and couldn’t bear to be separated from him. Granted, he had to get used to it when they started school, but even then, he stuck with Mark like glue whenever possible. Bob and Wade never fussed about it or questioned it, just knowing the two were super close.

The time they’d spent apart while Mark had been in LA had really been a test of nerves for Jack, to be honest. In the beginning, he’d Facetimed him five times a day, texting him often at other times, and was grateful Mark never complained or got mad at him for it. The frequency of the texts and Facetime calls had slowly lessened during that time, but picked right back up as it got closer to Mark coming back for the holidays and to bring Jack back to LA with him.

The brunet was proud that he’d been able to be a bit more independent, but he still felt that lack of comfort in social settings when Mark wasn’t around. He knew it was very strange, since he’d never heard of anyone being so dependent on someone for comfort like that, but it was the case for him.

Rinsing off, Jack finished up in the shower, and stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist before warping to his bedroom. That ability had come in handy often, ever since discovering it when he got scared enough into warping at 16. He’d had to warp himself out of a few sticky situations at times after that, but it was good.

Once the brunet was dressed in light blue jeans and a red t-shirt with the Spiderman emblem on it, he heard Mark call out to him that he could come downstairs now.

“Use the stairs, though!” he added, making the younger man laugh loudly. Jack did as he was told, though, taking the stairs two at a time with a grin on his face. Upon reaching the dining room, he paused, his eyes widening and jaw dropping in shock.

“Happy Birthday, Jackaboy,” Mark grinned, standing at the table, waiting patiently. He’d made them a delicious breakfast, consisting of pancakes (with chocolate chips in them, Jack’s favorite), ham, and scrambled eggs (Jack could even smell the cheese he’d mixed in). Syrup was in a tell-tale bottle on the table, which was their absolute favorite brand, too. Freshly-brewed coffee was in a pot on a hot pad to keep it from burning the table. A single balloon that had “Happy Birthday” printed on it was tied to Jack chair, and at his place at the table, a card in an envelope sat there, with Jack’s name on it.

“Mark… You’re too nice sometimes, dammit…!” Jack whined, but he was smiling anyway, trying to keep himself from crying happy tears.

“Only to people I care about,” Mark shrugged, going over and hugging him before guiding him to his seat. “Assholes can fuck off.”

“Definitely,” the smaller man laughed, sitting down and murmuring a thanks when the larger man poured his coffee for him…of course, in his “BOSS” mug. It was the one he’d gotten last Christmas, with the letters printed on it in an electrified-looking font. “Can I open this now?” he asked, pointing to the card.

“Duh. That’s why I put it there,” the raven teased, ruffling his brown locks and making Jack swat his hand away with an indignant noise. Jack tore open the envelope carefully, so as not to tear the card itself, and tugged it out, smiling at the Happy Birthday message on the front. When he opened it, he saw a picture of a plush eyeball, but it was green with a blue iris.

“Wait…is that…?” Jack asked, staring at Mark with wide, icy blue eyes.

“Yup. I got one made for you finally,” Mark smiled, laughing when Jack got up and hugged him tightly.

“What did I do to deserve you in my life…?” the younger man mumbled into his neck. He was grinning as he pulled away, though. “You seriously got a SepticEye Sam plush made for me!”

“Well, you deserve it! That’s your signature little mascot for whatever you wanna do,” the raven chuckled. “It’s not here yet, even though it was supposed to be, but maybe it’ll be delivered while we’re out.”

“I hope so,” Jack said eagerly, sitting back down and sipping at his coffee before beginning to eat. Mark did the same, taking a drink from his sweetened coffee, and Jack wrinkled his nose. “I still don’t get how you can drink it sweetened like that. Coffee needs be enjoyed dark and bitter!”

“Like your soul?”

“ _No_ , like the soul of the sadistic asshole who made tilt controls and motion controls a thing,” the brunet huffed. “Tilt and motion controls can eat the inner sanctum of my ass.”

Mark choked on his coffee at that, breaking into a coughing fit, making Jack look at him worriedly.

“You okay?”

“Y…yeah!” the raven wheezed after getting his spluttering under control. “Just didn’t expect you to say something like that…”

“Oh…”

“It’s fine. Just caught me off guard, but it was funny,” Mark assured him with a chuckle. The pair finished eating their breakfasts, and then Jack practically leaped out of his seat, bouncing in place with his excitement.

“Let’s go, Mark!” he grinned, making his friend laugh.

“We need to get you on decaf somehow, buddy,” the raven snickered, grabbing his keys.

“Oh, fuck that! That shit’s weak as all fuck and tastes like ass!” Jack protested, huffing. “Don’t you dare sneak that poison in my coffee, I’ll know!”

“I won’t, I promise! I know you’d find out!” Mark grinned, raising his hands defensively. “Come on, Jackaboy, we need to get moving.” The brunet rolled his eyes, but followed the older man out to the garage and climbed into the car, buckling up their seatbelts before leaving.

“So, did you want to get your first alcoholic drink tonight now that you’re 21?” Mark asked when they were getting close.

“I’m not sure… Not too keen on the idea of possibly gettin’ drunk…” Jack sighed, remembering hearing people talk about getting drunk off their asses and doing stupid shit, not to mention the hangover the next day.

“You wouldn’t from one drink, but I don’t blame you. Alcohol is bad for you anyway,” the older man shrugged. “Especially for me.”

“What?”

“During my last doctor’s appointment when I had the flu, I mentioned chest pain to him, and that I’d taken Dayquil to help with my flu. He did some bloodwork and found that alcohol affects my heart, so I can’t drink or else it’ll kill me,” Mark explained. “I was given names of substitutes that don’t have alcohol, so no risk now.”

“Fuckin’ hell, Mark…” the brunet breathed. “Good to know, I guess. Then I’m good without drinkin’.”

“Hey, don’t let my health keep you from doing that,” the raven frowned.

“Dude, stop. I’d rather not, anyway, so don’t try to change my mind,” Jack huffed, crossing his arms with a pout.

“Stubborn as a mule.”

“More like a cat.”

“Ah, you got me there.”

“Besides, I’m cuddlier than a mule~”

“Fuck yes you are. You’re the best cuddle buddy,” Mark smirked. “And you get so snuggly when you’re tired, too.”

“It helps to have the livin’ furnace to snuggle with, and your hair’s fluffy enough to be a pillow,” Jack laughed, despite his embarrassment. The larger man laughed, too, before perking.

“Look! We’re passing under the sign!” he exclaimed, pointing. Jack hurriedly snatched his phone from his lap and snapped a picture of it at the last second, sighing in relief when he saw it was a good picture.

“You asshole! I almost missed it!” he whined, making Mark cackle.

“But you didn’t miss it in the end, right?”

“No…”

“Then we’re good.”

“You sound like that ‘But did you die?’ meme,” Jack snorted, quirking a brow in amusement.

“That was the point!”

The two were quick to head to the entrance once parked, tickets in hand, and Jack felt about ready to warp in just so they could hurry. But he refrained, knowing that people would notice him just vanishing and reappearing inside. He accidentally projected his excitement to Mark with his telepathy, who smirked.

“I know you’re excited, but we gotta wait our turn in line,” he chuckled.

“Huh?” the younger man uttered, confused, before he realized what had happened. “Aw shit, did I do it again?”

“Yeah, but it’s okay,” Mark soothed.

“Tryin’ not ta do that so much, though…” Jack mumbled, frustrated. “At least on accident, anyway.”

“I think it’s fun when I get to know how you feel. I enjoy knowing just how excited or happy about something you are,” his friend assured him. “Don’t worry so much, all right?”

“No promises,” the brunet smiled slightly.

“C’mon, let’s have some fun for your birthday,” Mark chuckled as they reached the ticket check. Once through there, Jack brightened, knowing the fun times ahead were guaranteed.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Jack was still full of energy by the time they got home at 10 at night, grinning brightly even with his arms full of Disneyland souvenirs they’d bought. Mark was dragging by this point, but he was smiling at his younger friend’s infectious energy. He was carrying something that he’d seen and Jack hadn’t noticed yet.

“Hey Jack?” he called, gaining Jack attention as he looked back. “Got something for you here.”

“Huh? When’d you get that?” the brunet asked, confused when he noticed the box Mark was holding.

“It’s your birthday gift, silly!” the raven laughed. Jack was quick to carefully set down the bags he was holding, putting them on the island, and then going over and taking the box when Mark handed it to him. Instead of grabbing a kitchen knife, he made a small blade from electricity, cutting the box open that way. Once he dispelled the blade, he barked a laugh at his friend’s dumbstruck expression.

“I taught myself that one while you were gone,” he smirked.

“Well, looks like I missed a lot then, huh?” Mark chuckled once he recovered.

“Yeah, but we got plenty of time ta get ya caught up,” Jack pointed out as he opened the box. He then immediately squealed in excitement when he pulled out his new SepticEye Sam plush Mark had gotten made for him. “He’s perfect!!” he grinned, hugging the plush close.

“I’d like to think so,” the older man laughed lightly. Jack was ecstatic about it, since he’d toyed around with the idea of Sam during his and Mark’s senior year in high school. The reason Sam was green was due to Jack’s eyes turning completely neon green when he used his electricity control, but his irises stayed blue. They had both agreed it was strange, but awesome and unique.

“Ready to get some shuteye, Jackaboy?” Mark inquired, smiling softly when he caught the sound of Jack purring quietly as he held Sam close.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, sorry!” the younger apologized, blushing.

“Don’t worry about it, bud. We’ll do your birthday cake in the morning, since it’s late.”

“You’re willin’ ta eat cake for breakfast?” Jack questioned, quirking a brow in amusement.

“We’re both adults and can do that without Mom scolding us, so why not?” his friend shrugged, making the smaller man laugh.

“True,” he agreed, heading upstairs. They parted ways at their respective bedrooms, Jack thanking Mark quietly for an amazing birthday. The older man was just happy to make him happy, and after bidding each other goodnight, Jack closed his door and changed into a pair of sleep shorts and an old t-shirt, crawling under his comforter and snuggling his new Sam plush close. As he drifted off to sleep, he couldn’t help but think this was the best birthday he’d ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is where Jack’s beloved SepticEye Sam got started in this fic~ I had to! XD Also, Jack’s projecting is going to be an important factor later on. Not for his background, but for the fic itself.  
> Disclaimer: So, full disclaimer, I’ve never been to Disneyland or Disneyworld, even though I lived in California before. Then again, I wasn’t even 3 when we moved due to my dad being in the Navy, so that’s why. So, pardon my lack of description and basically skimming of the part in this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we’re getting into some feels~  
> Also, if it wasn’t obvious by now, Jack is only called Jack in this. It’s the only name he has. It’ll all be explained later on!

When Jack next woke up, he groaned miserably into his pillow when he saw it was still dark outside. He’d been so content going to sleep earlier that he thought a solid sleep would be possible. Checking his phone and squinting against the light of the screen, he cursed and buried his face into the pillow. It was only 12:02 am.

‘ _Why the fuck am I awake…?!_ ’ he thought to himself in frustration. Lying in bed, he tried to figure out what was wrong, taking stock of his body. After several minutes, he started to feel anxious, like from not having something…or someone. The longer he stayed there, the worse the anxiety got, to the point where he was on the verge of a panic attack.

By this point, he knew he needed Mark, or he’d never calm down. With a whine, he slid out from under his comforter, clutching his Sam plush to his chest as he padded out of his room and down the hall to Mark’s. Lifting a shaky hand, he knocked on the door.

“Mark?” he called out, his anxiety making his voice tremble. There was a quiet groan from inside the room, followed by the faint sounds of Mark fumbling for his glasses.

“What’s wrong, Jack?” the older man replied, voice thick with sleep.

“I…I don’t know… I-I feel a p-panic attack comin’ on… I-I dunno why…” Jack whimpered, tears starting to form in his eyes. He could feel Mark’s concern through his telepathy, but then he heard him shuffling out of bed and to the door. As soon as he’d opened it, the brunet latched onto him in a tight hug, sniffling.

“Ssshhh…” Mark soothed, holding him close. He rubbed Jack’s back calmly, then began to lead him to the bed. Once under the covers, Jack snuggled as close as he could to Mark’s chest, his breathing beginning to calm down.

“A bit better?” the raven asked kindly, holding the brunet without a complaint.

“Y…yeah…” Jack mumbled, nodding and inadvertently nuzzling Mark’s chest.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“I dunno… I was sleepin’ jus’ fine, but I woke up about midnight, and started ta feel anxious… I felt like I needed you… Jus’ contact, nothin’ else…” the younger man explained in a quiet voice.

“What happens if you think about me leaving for even a minute?”

Jack had to think for a moment and pretend like Mark had left. His breathing picked up again, becoming erratic, and he felt his heart begin racing again as tears flowed freely.

“Okay, ssshhh, I’m here, it’s okay,” Mark shushed him gently, rubbing his back again. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? I’m right here, Jack.”

“‘m sorry…” the brunet sniffled as he calmed down again.

“Don’t you dare apologize. I’d feel worse if you tried to get through it on your own when you needed me, and remember, I want to keep you happy all the time, if I can,” the older man murmured, running a hand through Jack’s hair. Jack whined softly, but managed to settle in the warm hold, closing his eyes and exhaling a long breath before falling asleep once more.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

The sunlight shining through the curtains woke Jack up later, and he groaned pitifully into the pillow, rolling over so he wasn’t getting his retinas burned. As he rested there, he suddenly froze, realizing Mark wasn’t there, and then bolted upright, a cold sweat washing over him.

‘ _Where is he?_ ’ he thought, panic making his heart race. He listened as best as he could with his pulse racing in his ears, but couldn’t tell because of the irrational fear he was feeling. Tears began to blur his vision, and he couldn’t see properly through them at all.

“Jack, I’m here! It’s okay, sshh,” Mark’s voice sounded from beside him, the mattress dipping with his weight as he rejoined him, pulling him close. As he was pulled into that warm embrace, Jack realized he’d been whimpering loudly, only the sound lowering in volume making him register it.

“I…I-I…” the brunet tried to get out, but he couldn’t even talk by now, he was so worked up. Instead, he thought to Mark, ‘ _I didn’t know where you were…_ ’

“I’m sorry, Jackaboy, I really am,” the raven murmured, petting Jack’s hair. “I just had to use the bathroom, and I thought I’d be quick enough that you’d be okay. I heard you whimpering and knew you’d woken up.”

Jack whined, unable to help it, but there was a level of frustration he was feeling by now. He’d felt so good about the progress he’d made on his independence yesterday, and now he couldn’t even manage Mark being away to use the damn bathroom without him freaking out. This was even worse than when he was a kid.

Apparently, he’d projected his frustration at himself and his need for Mark’s presence to the larger man, because Mark tensed briefly against him. He relaxed soon after, merely holding the younger close.

“Jack, please don’t be mad at yourself for this, please?” he pleaded quietly. “I’m not upset with you, and I know this can’t be a long-term thing. I just know it. Nothing traumatizing happened recently enough to cause this, so it’s got to be at most a week.”

‘ _I feel so dumb for freakin’ out like this, though…_ ’ Jack admitted. Mark pulled away enough to tap his nose, surprising the smaller man enough to stare up at him, wide-eyed.

“It’s fine, I promise. Let’s go downstairs to eat, all right?” he smiled. With a nod, the brunet paused, before shifting into a cat and curling around Mark’s neck and shoulders. “That works,” he chuckled. “Now you can stick to me when I have to get up or move around or whatever.”

‘ _That’s the point,_ ’ Jack replied cheekily, purring against Mark’s neck. This felt much better, and as Mark got up and headed downstairs, the brunet’s previous panic and anxiety faded quickly. And as much as he was comforted by the reasonable thought of this not being a long-term thing, he _really_ hoped it didn’t last a whole fucking week.

“You still up for cake this morning?” Mark asked, making Jack mewl excitedly.

‘ _You realize who you’re talkin’ to? That answer’s obvious!_ ’ he laughed. ‘ _Cake, cookies, and pizza are my three fave foods! Cake for breakfast isn’t out of the question for me!_ ’

“Neither is pizza, from what I saw the morning after you moved in,” the older man smirked.

‘ _Duh._ ’

“All right, you need to close your eyes for a bit here, sneaky. Gotta get it ready,” Mark chuckled, tapping Jack’s pink nose. The younger huffed, chirruping eagerly, but closed his eyes anyway, settling his chin along Mark’s shoulder.

As he waited, listening to the raven open the fridge and whatnot, Jack couldn’t help but feel so safe and comfortable like this. He had never been this clingy with Mark, even when he was found, and back then he’d been scared to be without him. But not to the point of almost going into a full-blown panic attack within minutes of Mark leaving the room.

Other than the extreme need to be with Mark, Jack had to admit he liked being able to be this close with his friend. He also enjoyed the warmth, safety, and comfort he felt. It was so nice.

The sound of the lighter clicking brought Jack out of his thoughts, and he barely managed to keep his eyes shut, but his ears twitched against Mark’s jaw.

“You didn’t peek, did you?” the older man asked.

‘ _No, never!_ ’ the brunet snickered. ‘ _I can at least be good and not peek!_ ’

“…You’re such a shit,” Mark chuckled. “So cheeky.”

‘ _You do realize who yer talkin’ about, right?_ ’ Jack snorted, purring in amusement. ‘ _That shouldn’t be a surprise by now! You know me!_ ’

“Yeah, yeah. All right, open your eyes now, stinker.”

The younger did as instructed, and looked down to see the cake Mark had gotten him, which was a red-frosted, double-layer cake with a picture of a fennec fox face on it, with the words, “Happy Birthday, Jackaboy!” written in green frosting.

‘ _Oh my god, you’re the fuckin’ best!_ ’ Jack exclaimed, sliding off of Mark’s shoulders to shift back. “You know me too damn well, I swear.”

“It doesn’t take much to know you love buttercream frosting on a marble cake, Jack,” Mark smirked.

“Still, it means a lot,” the smaller man murmured, returning his attention to the cake again. Closing his eyes, he thought, ‘ _I wish that the good times never end, and that I never lose Mark._ ’ With that, he blew out the candles.

“Well?”

“Okay, **now** who’s bein’ the cheeky one? You know I can’t tell you what I wished fer!” Jack laughed, moving to grab a knife from the drawer to get himself a slice.

“Hey, can’t blame me for trying!” the larger man laughed as well. Once they’d each gotten a (rather large) slice, they sat next to each other at the table to eat.

“So, did you have anythin’ you needed ta do today?” the brunet asked as he munched.

“Nah, I’m pretty clear for a while. Gotta get groceries, but that can wait for a few days,” Mark answered. “Wanna play some games today?”

“Honestly, I jus’ feel like watchin’, if that’s cool?” Jack replied with a sheepish look.

“Dude, that’s fine. It’s not like we hardly have time for games,” the raven assured him with a chuckle. “You’re good to just drape yourself around my shoulders like earlier.”

“Good god, that sounds so weird when you say it like that,” the smaller man groaned, feeling a faint burn in his cheeks. “Imagine that bein’ taken out of context…”

“Then it’s good thing it’s not out of context with us.”

Jack laughed a bit at that, before sighing contently as he finished his slice of cake. He then shifted into a cat again and climbed onto Mark’s shoulders, curling around his neck again with a pleased purr. The larger man merely chuckled as he stood, taking their empty plates to the kitchen and putting them in the dishwasher.

‘ _…Think we’ll see snow here at all?_ ’ Jack inquired randomly.

“Probably not. I didn’t experience any before you came out here, just back home,” Mark shrugged, lightly jostling the younger and drawing a startled mewl from him. “Sorry, bud.”

‘ _It’s okay. I dunno why, but I feel like I’m gonna miss those colder winter days where we’d watch movies or play games on the couch, sharin’ a blanket and drinking hot chocolate,_ ’ the brunet sighed.

“Hey, don’t worry about it so much. We’ll be back in Cincinnati for the holidays later this year again, so we can have that then, too,” the raven assured him. “We can even leave a couple of weeks earlier, too, just to enjoy that in a hotel or something.” Jack eyed him fishily.

‘ _…Are you sure you can’t read minds yourself or somethin’?_ ’ he questioned. ‘ _I was gonna suggest that myself, but you beat me to it._ ’

“No, you’re just predictable sometimes,” Mark laughed. “At least for me, anyway.”

‘ _If you say so…_ ’ Jack pouted, feeling a strange warmth in his chest at the words. He didn’t utter a word of it to Mark, though, since he wasn’t sure what it meant.

Once the dishes were put away and the cake was back in the fridge, Mark moved to the living room, turning on the TV and their PS3.

“You gonna be okay if I play Dead Space 2?” he asked, sitting down with the controller.

‘ _Yeh. I might fall asleep, to be honest. Feelin’ kinda tired…_ ’ the brunet mumbled, closing his eyes.

“Well, considering you woke up when you did because of what’s going on, I don’t blame you. I’ll be sure to keep the volume down, though,” the older man replied, scratching briefly behind Jack’s ears before turning down the volume on the TV.

While Mark played, Jack just cuddled into the older man’s neck, purring softly as he relaxed. He really was tired, and he let himself drift off, falling asleep against his best friend’s warmth.

X*X(2 Days Later)X*X

The past three days had involved Jack velcroing himself to Mark’s side, being so clingy that it was ridiculous. To Jack, anyway. Mark didn’t mind in the least, and seemed perfectly content holding the younger man close to keep him calm.

But it was morning by now, Jack grumbling as he woke up. When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Mark was still fast asleep, even as he held the brunet close. The smaller man watched his relaxed expression as he slept, looking so calm and content it was breathtaking.

Resting his head against the pillow properly again, Jack thought back on the last three days. He was so frustrated with himself for getting so dependent, even with Mark’s reassurance that he didn’t mind.

However, despite how much he wanted to believe that this was the only time it would happen, he just had a strong, sinking feeling it was going to be a regular thing. How often was to be determined, but regardless, it wasn’t something he looked forward to.

Closing his eyes, Jack reflected on how he felt while clinging to Mark. He’d felt to safe, warm, and comfortable, and was so relieved to not have to be separated. Of course, there were times when they had to use the bathroom, but they would wait for the other outside the bathroom. Once done, they’d rejoin and Jack would cuddle back up with Mark. It was easier whenever Jack knew Mark was going, anyway, so he wouldn’t panic again like before.

Even so, the brunet recalled feeling a small skip in his chest at times, usually whenever the older man would just wrap his arms around him and hold him close on the couch. At other times, he felt warmth pool in his stomach each time Mark pet him while he was a cat.

‘ _What the fuck is goin’ on with me…?_ ’ he wondered to himself. He’d never felt like this before…or maybe he had and simply didn’t notice.

Considering a possibility, Jack thought about if Mark found a girlfriend, and things became serious. Neither of them had ever considered seeking out a relationship with anyone, despite Jack asking Mark about it once. Jack just didn’t want to try because he was scared of someone being freaked out by his abilities.

As the smaller man thought about Mark finding someone he wanted to be in a relationship with, he almost immediately felt sorrow, accompanied by a harsh pain in his chest, sudden enough that he very nearly gasped. The unwelcome burn of oncoming tears followed, and Jack had to carefully slip out of Mark’s hold to scurry off to the bathroom.

‘ _Fuck…!_ ’ he thought, trying to calm down as he frantically wiped his eyes. ‘ _This can’t be happenin’…_ ’ He was freaking out at the realization that he loved Mark. How he hadn’t realized it sooner it beyond him, but this wouldn’t be good. Based on their previous discussion, he knew Mark wasn’t seeking any sort of relationship. He’d said as much. But then that meant he didn’t see Jack like that, either…

And why should he? Jack was so weird. He had such an unknown history, and with his abilities, he couldn’t see anyone wanting him. Even though it hurt to think about…

Exhaling shakily, the brunet came to a firm decision. He wouldn’t tell Mark about his feelings. He couldn’t. He would just keep it hidden and handle it as best as he could. There was no way he would ever be able to live if he told the older man and it turned out to be one-sided.

Giving one last little whimper, Jack crept out of the bathroom, and crawled back into bed with Mark, snuggling into his hold. Unless another “clingy period” like this happened again, he wasn’t going to consistently share Mark’s bed. He couldn’t.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, guesses are closed out! I won’t answer on any guesses at this point, and the answer will be revealed in a later chapter. I honestly don’t know what chapter it’ll be or when it’ll be posted, but I’ll do my best to get it out to you all~ Also, another time skip, but this one’ll be awesome~

X*X(2013)X*X

It was the end of February, and Jack was trying to work on some new videos for his tiny YouTube channel he’d started last December. Since Mark made his in April the year before, Jack had thought on it, and decided to make his own. He hadn’t gotten many subscribers yet, but he didn’t anticipate a large following too soon. Mark had a good amount so far, which was nice, though.

Jack had called his channel Jacksepticeye, due to his green eyes when he used electricity looking almost septic. As for Mark, he called his Markiplier due to the idea of him wanting to be multiplied, hence the name.

When Jack started, he didn’t use a camera yet, and tried to conceal his accent so people wouldn’t judge him or anything. After all, he’d never been to Ireland, and had grown up in Ohio almost his whole life. He’d just had his accent the whole time. He was also self-conscious about some of his nervous behaviors, which he had a lot of when he was recording, so he was relieved about no cameras yet.

He was just glad that his stupid overly-clingy period was done for the year. As he’d thought, it became an annual thing, it seemed, where he would be like that for three days after his birthday. And despite Mark’s multiple reassurances that he didn’t mind, Jack was always frustrated with himself for it. It also wasn’t helping with his feelings for the raven.

Jack had already acknowledged that he loved Mark, but it would eat at him sometimes when he was left alone with his thoughts for too long. As a result, he tried to keep himself busy as much as possible so as to distract himself.

There was an incident a few days before his birthday, though, that almost made Jack full-on panic and spiral. The two friends were out getting groceries after having run a few other errands, and while shopping, a woman approached them and started speaking to Mark, trying to flirt and ask if he wanted to go out sometime. Jack felt his fear lance through him, and it reflected clearly in his expression as he stared at the larger man pleadingly.

Mark wasn’t even remotely interested, as he’d assured Jack after, and he’d politely declined, telling her he had important plans coming up. The woman had huffed as she stormed off, cementing the idea that she was just looking for a quick lay, but it took Jack a bit to calm down. When they’d gotten back to the car after paying and loading the groceries in the trunk, Mark explained that he would never ditch Jack for his birthday and those three days after, so those were firm plans.

Thinking back, the brunet remembered how he’d blushed out of embarrassment at that, and how he’d thought more on his feelings for Mark because of that.

“Hey, you all done in here?” Mark called through the door, startling the brunet out of his thoughts.

“Jesus Christ, Mark!” the younger man yelped, pouting when the raven opened the door. “You scared me!”

“Sorry, man, didn’t mean to!” his friend apologized. “Just checking in.”

“To answer yer question, yeah, I’m done. Just finished,” Jack huffed, but then sighed.

“What’s up?”

“I dunno… I can’t help but feel like my videos are kinda shitty compared to yours…” the smaller man mumbled, glancing up briefly when Mark moved to sit by him on another chair.

“Hey, don’t think like that,” Mark chided. “I’ve watched your videos, and I think it’s about time we got you a camera to let your viewers see you. Plus, just be yourself. I noticed you’re trying to tone down your accent, but it’s part of you, and it makes you unique. Trust me, it’s better for your viewers to know who you really are as a person.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so. Obviously don’t use your abilities on camera, but other than that, be you.”

Jack bit his lip in thought. He knew Mark was right, and it’d be best to not pretend to be someone else. He then nodded.

“All right. Where do we get started for a camera?” he asked.

“Don’t worry too much on it for now. I’ll order it for you, and once it arrives, we’ll set it up together,” the older man grinned. “It’ll be fun to watch you being your energetic self in your future videos now.”

“You love when I get sugar highs, too, don’t you?” Jack snorted, eyeing him.

“It’s fun, especially with how you get after the high wears off,” Mark laughed.

“You just like gettin’ ta pet me when I get cuddly cuz I’m tired…” the smaller man pouted, trying to will his blush to die down.

“I won’t deny that,” the raven smirked. “Hey, once you’ve gotten the hang of recording with a camera, how about we do a collab?”

“Really? You sure?” Jack blinked, surprised.

“Of course! It’s not like our viewers know we live together or even know each other, but I think it’d be fun,” Mark chuckled. “Wade might even be interested.”

“That’d be fun,” the brunet smiled.

“Definitely. He was considering starting up his own videos sometime, anyway. I know Bob’s still on the fence, but maybe we can do collabs with them later on,” the larger man added. Getting up from the chair, he said, “Well, let me go order a camera for you, and we’ll get some food going.”

“What’d ya have in mind for dinner tonight?”

“Well, it’s the last Sunday of the month, and I haven’t done Mom’s chicken and dumplings yet, so…”

“That settles it. We _have_ to keep up tradition,” Jack declared, before getting up as well to head downstairs. “Anythin’ I can do ta get set up?”

“Other than pull the ingredients out for me, not much,” Mark shrugged. “I’ll be down in a bit.”

Jack nodded, and they parted ways upon leaving Jack’s office. While the brunet pulled out all of the necessary ingredients from the fridge and cabinets, he considered the collab idea Mark had proposed. It would be so much fun, since he always had fun whenever he played with Mark on their own, and with Wade added into the mix, too, it’d be hectic, but hilarious. Depended on the game, of course, but they had time to figure that out.

Mark came down the stairs as Jack set the proper pans and the large pot on the stove. He smiled at the younger man, making his heart skip a beat.

“Okay, your camera’s ordered. Should be here in a few days,” he told him, tucking his phone back in his pocket as he moved over to start cooking. Opening the package of chicken, he said, “I’m so fucking glad we get the whole cut up chicken. I hate breaking down the damn thing myself. It’s so damn messy…”

“Can’t say I blame you,” Jack chuckled. “Raw chicken juice flyin’ everywhere, basically.”

“Exactly!”

While Mark got the chicken going, Jack toyed around on his phone. He blinked in surprise when he saw he got a notification on Twitter and YouTube each, and went to Twitter first. He jolted in shock, a gasp escaping him, when he saw he was being followed by Shixona, an already growing YouTuber.

All throughout social media and YouTube, she kept her name. No other title or anything, since her name was so unique. She also had the same profile picture on it all, too, which was a white dragon on a grassy outcropping, gazing at the moon with an ethereal glow to it. It also had feathered wings instead of the typical leathery ones.

Her content was fun to watch, and she really connected with her viewers. The way she spoke during her Let’s Plays made anyone watching like she was addressing them and including them in her gameplay. She also made certain to post videos once a week of reading social media comments and replying to them.

Shixona had openly shared that she edits all of her own videos, and was proud to do so. She explained that she didn’t see the need for an editor at this time, but maybe in the future she’d seek one out. She just preferred to do everything on her own.

She was also a **_huge_** supporter of human rights, in summary. You name it, she supported the equality in it. She was easy to anger with subjects of abuse of any kind, rape, child molestation, homophobia, racism, sexism, bullying, all of it. She would **_not_** tolerate any mention of being okay with them. She would always be quick to shut any of it down. It was something a lot of people liked about her, and supported immensely since they were important subjects.

“You okay, Jackaboy?” Mark asked, having heard Jack’s gasp.

“I just got followed by Shixona!” he yelped.

“Oh shit, really?!” the raven exclaimed. “That’s awesome! I haven’t gotten followed by her yet, but that’s great!”

“You haven’t?” Jack questioned, surprised.

“No, not yet, anyway. Maybe soon, but we’ll see,” Mark shrugged. The brunet’s phone pinged with another notification, and he checked to see she had DM’d him.

_Shixona: Hey, saw your videos, and I really like them so far! You sound like a fun (and cute) guy, and I bet the face matches! Can’t wait until you start recording with a camera!_

Jack snorted on a laugh. “Well, good thing you ordered the camera already. Apparently, she’s eager for me to record with one.”

“What’d she say?” Jack turned his phone to show him, and Mark quirked a brow.

“How would she know you’re cute just by your voice?” he wondered. The younger man could tell he seemed perturbed, but he wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t about to probe his mind to check, either.

“I dunno… Maybe she’s just messin’?” he shrugged, before answering back.

_Me: Are you psychic or something? I just ordered a camera today._

_Shixona: Nah, I was just throwing out a suggestion. Recording with a camera makes things more personal with Let’s Plays, especially since the viewers can see your reactions. And don’t worry, I’m not hitting on you. I’m practically married to my work, even though I’m 21. I just like teasing people sometimes!_

This made the smaller man bark out a laugh, showing Mark his phone again. His friend rolled his eyes with a chuckle, seeming to relax at that. Another notification showed up, and he’d gotten another message.

_Shixona: Here’s my number, in case you ever wanna reach out for anything. Once you’ve gotten used to the camera, I’d like to do a collab with you. And with Markiplier at some point or another, too, then maybe we all can. Let me know~! <phone number>_

“Seems like she’s jumpin’ the gun a bit,” Jack commented. “She just gave me her number to keep in touch with, and offered to do a collab once I’ve gotten used to my camera. She even said she’d like to do one with you, then both of us.”

“Well there we go,” Mark grinned back at him. Then **his** phone went off with a notification, and he pulled it out of his pocket to see he’d gotten followed by her, too. “Can I just say this is eerie?”

“Either awfully coincidental or strange timin’,” the brunet agreed. “No one outside of people in the area and our friends and family know we live together.”

“Yeah, exactly my point. Just weird…”

“Well, I’m gonna play somethin’ while you cook,” Jack smirked, but paused when Mark gave him a pointed look. “What?”

“You have laundry in the washer that needs to go in the dryer, man. Did you really forget?”

“Hey! I can’t help that I got distracted by workin’ on videos and forgot!” the younger whined, pouting. Grumbling at his friend’s snicker, Jack went to the laundry room and moved his damp clothes to the dryer, starting it up before heading back to the living room and plopping onto the couch with a PS3 controller. Starting up a game, he growled under his breath when he heard Mark call out to him.

“Switched over your laundry?” he asked.

“Yes, ya big doof,” Jack replied grumpily, before getting an idea when he heard Mark’s chuckle. Setting down his controller, he shifted into his fox form before creeping over to Mark, quiet as can be, and when he got close enough, he pounced on his shoulder with a trilling chirp, making the older man yelp in shock.

“Fuck!” he yelled, jolting and almost knocking Jack off of him. Jack yipped in his own surprise, before jumping off onto the kitchen island. “Jack, what the hell?!”

‘ _You were naggin’ me!_ ’ the younger protested. The larger man groaned, but didn’t argue.

“Let me get the soup part going, and while it cooks, we can talk,” he sighed. Jack’s ears flattened out sideways, and he whined.

‘ _Are you mad at me?_ ’ he asked nervously. Since Mark was his closest best friend, he didn’t want him mad about Jack’s own antics.

“No, I’m not mad,” Mark assured him, reaching over blindly and ruffling his ears. Jack yipped in surprise, but relaxed a bit. He watched and waited while Mark finished getting the soup part cooking, since the dumplings would be later, and then perked when the raven put the lid on the pot. Mark went to the living room, sitting on the couch, and Jack hopped up, shifting back before getting comfortable.

“So, first off, I’m not mad, never was, so don’t worry about that,” the older man started, adjusting his glasses a bit. “I never meant to seem like I was nagging you, I just wanted to make sure you’re still doing your own tasks, I guess. I want you to be able to take care of yourself.”

“I’m sorry, Mark…” Jack sighed, feeling guilty. His heart clenched in a slightly painful manner from the guilt. “Sometimes I can be a shit…”

“You’re not a shit,” Mark chuckled. “You’re you, that’s it. I know you like to be self-reliant, so I was taking that into consideration.”

“Thank you…” the younger man smiled, cuddling up against Mark’s side on the couch. He hummed contently as they watched something random on TV, until Mark had to get up and start the dumplings in the pot.

They ate in a comfortable quiet, enjoying the other’s presence and the food, before retiring to their respective rooms for the night.

X*X(November)X*X

Jack had gotten his camera a few days after Mark ordering it, along with the new mic Mark had added on, and had quickly gotten the hang of it. He’d even discovered a new ability he had gained after using them: sound mimicry. He was able to mimic any sound perfectly, and he’d been using it often in his videos recently. Sometimes to mess with Mark, too.

His channel had gained a good amount of popularity and subscribers over the past almost nine months, thanks to both the shoutouts from PewDiePie and Shixona. Shixona had been first, doing so in mid-April. She praised his quick growth in videos, how fun it was to watch him play, and his energy and recording style. The brunette had also commented how she looked forward to a potential collab in the future. That shoutout was amazing on its own, with Felix’s further boosting his channel. Shixona had even done a shoutout for Mark, too.

At the moment, he was working on finishing his edits with another video, when he got a message over Discord from Shixona. They had been talking every other day or so since she first followed him, and she was giving him advice for different things, such as games, how to approach them, how to edit certain stuff in videos, and even advice with content. She’d assured him he wasn’t obligated to follow through with what she said, and he was free to do his own thing. It was comforting to know she was that considerate.

_Shix: Hey buddy! How’s the recording going?_

Jack chuckled to himself, smiling as he replied.

_Me: Finished up about 30 minutes ago, and workin’ on the edits. You?_

_Shix: Eh, I stockpile a few days’ worth at a time, then schedule the uploads accordingly. Still got a couple of free days left._

_Me: What do you do in your free time, then? You seem like you keep busy with your channel so much._

_Shix: I do, but in my spare time, I also play some games for myself. I’m also working on something special for me~_

_Me: And I don’t get any kind of hint, do I?_

_Shix: Maybe, once it’s more concrete. I’ll keep you updated; you know that! ;)_

_Me: Yeah, I know. Any new series comin’ up that you plan on doin’?_

_Shix: Not really. Just a few indi games and single recording games, and adding to other series, but not much else. I’ve been considering Prop Hunt, though._

_Me: I’ve heard of it, but haven’t done much. I know Mark’s played a few times recently._

_Shix: Well, maybe we should remedy that! The game’s awesome, from what I’ve seen and heard. And by awesome, I mean hilarious and ridiculous. XD_

_Me: That’s my kind of game, then!_

_Shix: There we go! Well, let’s see if we can’t set something up, okay? If not this month, then after the holidays. Heading to Japan to see my parents next month for Christmas._

_Me: Your parents are in Japan???_

_Shix: Well, Dad was born there, but Father was born here in Colorado. Dad was visiting the U.S. for a small trip, and he met my father…and the rest is history. I was adopted by them. My biological parents never wanted to have a baby, so I was an accident, but Father was a friend of theirs, so he and Dad offered to adopt me when I was born. I ended up being adopted and brought home with my adoptive parents when they cleared me from the hospital. I never tried to keep contact with my birth parents, either. They never tried, so I didn’t bother._

Jack blinked, startled by the information. He’d never known about that, but then again, it’s not something one would just openly broadcast to the world.

_Me: Holy shit! Well, good to know you have good parents now._

_Shix: You’re telling me. It’s actually awesome to be bilingual. Dad taught me Japanese growing up, of course, and I’ve actually used it when in public sometimes. I’ve had some people try to badmouth me in Japanese without realizing I knew, but then I drop the bomb on ‘em, and they get so embarrassed. XD_

_Me: XD I’ll bet!_

_Shix: Anyhoo, they moved to Japan to live out their retirement last year, so I just save up for the trip in December. We still Skype every week, though._

_Me: That’s really cool! Wish I had relatives in another country._

_Shix: You don’t? What about your Irish accent?_

_Me: No, never even been out of the country. I’ve just had it for as long as I can remember._

Jack bit his lip nervously as he saw the typing bubble on Shixona’s end, hoping she wouldn’t try to ask more.

_Shix: Odd. Well, you don’t have to share if you’re not comfortable with it. I’m curious, but I won’t pry. It’s unique, anyway. Makes you different from others, and in a good way. Felix doesn’t sound Swedish until he starts swearing. XD_

The brunet exhaled a sigh of relief, grateful that she hadn’t gone further with it.

_Me: True. XD_

_Shix: One last question, then I’ll leave you alone. Do you and Mark live close to each other? Just…based on your respective videos, it seems like it, especially since you’re both in LA. Again, don’t answer if you don’t want to, it’s fine._

_Me: Actually, yeah. We share a house._

Even as he sent it, Jack worried about telling her without checking with Mark. He shouldn’t be mad, right? Shixona wouldn’t give anyone that information, would she?

_Shix: Aww, that’s so cool! I don’t have any YouTubers living near me in Colorado Springs, so for you two to be roommates is awesome! Don’t worry, I won’t tell. Considering we have the same job; I know the importance of privacy. I won’t even mention you two living together~_

_Me: Thanks, that means a lot…_

_Shix: Anytime, Jack! I better get to fixing my dinner, but we’ll talk again next time, kay?_

_Me: Sounds like a plan! Ttyl!_

Her icon changed to “offline”, and Jack closed the window, having wrapped up with his editing while they chatted. Once he’d closed out of the programs he’d had open, he stretched in his office chair, grunting as his shoulders popped.

Listening carefully, the brunet didn’t hear Mark recording in his office, so he reached out with his telepathy, curious if the other was doing something important.

‘ _Mark? You busy?_ ’ he asked.

There was silence for a moment, before he heard his friend call out from downstairs, his voice muffled due to the walls and noise-reducing foam on the walls in Jack’s office. Laughing a little, the brunet got up and made his way downstairs. At Mark’s request, Jack had stopped warping down to the main level unless it was an emergency (which hadn’t happened yet, thankfully), just to spare the poor guy’s heart.

Halfway down the stairs, he smelled the chicken Mark was cooking, accompanied with the sound of oil popping as it fried something. The smaller man hummed happily at the aroma, and hurried down.

“Smells delicious!” he chirped as he leaned against the island.

“I would hope so,” Mark grinned back at him as he moved around whatever was in the oil in the electric skillet. “I thought I’d try making us something new, and this sounded good: chicken fritters.”

“Well, considerin’ they’re fried, I’m already interested,” Jack chuckled.

“It’s just chopped up pieces of chicken thighs mixed with mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs, eggs and mayo, and some seasonings, and now being fried,” the raven told him.

“I’m sold,” the younger man laughed. “Anythin’ I can help with?”

“Nah, I’m almost done frying these guys,” Mark assured him. “I have some garlic cheddar biscuits in the oven, too.”

“Those ones from the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit mix?” Jack asked eagerly, perking.

“Yup, the very ones. If you want, you can melt some butter for them, but they’ll be done soon, too,” the older man smiled.

“I’ll do that, and get the dishes out,” the brunet grinned, moving to the cabinet. While the butter was melting in a covered cup in the microwave, he said, “Shixona and I were chattin’ earlier, and she was suggestin’ doin’ a collab for Prop Hunt. I know you’ve played before, so I was wonderin’ what it’s like?”

“It’s a makeshift version of hide and seek, basically,” Mark answered, chuckling. Jack could sense a faint tension around his friend, but he didn’t comment. “One team plays as Props, and can turn into different things on the map, and they get a 30 second head start to do so. The larger the Prop, the more health you have. You can also rotate to disguise yourself better on the map, then lock the rotation so you don’t move while looking around with the camera, especially when the Hunters are around you.”

Jack laughed at that. “Sounds like you could be really cheeky as a Prop.”

“Yeah, I’ve done shit before to fuck with others,” the raven snickered. “The other team, the Hunters, goes around and looks for the Props. They have different guns and a crowbar, plus a single grenade per Hunter per round. While searching for the Props, they can shoot anything they want, but it’s best to wait until you think you’ve found a Prop. Reason being that if you shoot non-Props, you take damage. And if you run out of health, you die. If at least one person on the Props team lives until the timer runs out, or the Hunters all die, then Props win. And obviously, if the Hunters kill all the Props, they win.”

“Well, shit! Now I wanna try!” Jack exclaimed.

“I could try and rope Bob and Wade into it, then, if that’s okay,” Mark offered.

“Sure! Shixona said she’d like to, too, if not this month, then after the holidays,” the brunet nodded. “Said she’s goin’ to Japan to visit her parents for the holidays early next month.”

“They’re in Japan?” the larger man questioned, confused.

“Yeah. Her dad’s Japanese, and met her other dad while visitin’ the U.S., and they adopted her from friends that didn’t want to be parents, long story short,” Jack explained. “They moved to Japan last year to live out their retirement, so she visits for the holidays, and they Skype weekly.”

“Damn… I didn’t realize her family was so far away,” Mark murmured.

“Neither did I,” the smaller man sighed, taking the cup of melted butter out of the microwave when it beeped, then pulling out the biscuits when the timer went off. As he spread the melted butter on the biscuits, he perked at Mark’s next words.

“What would you say to meeting up with her at the next con?” he asked.

“That’d be awesome!” Jack grinned, before adding sheepishly, “I kinda told her we’re livin’ together, since she asked if we live close to each other, and she promised not to tell.”

“Considering that she’s a YouTuber, too, and she knows the importance of privacy, I’m sure she won’t,” Mark agreed.

“She did ask about my accent when I said I wish I had relatives from another country, though,” the younger man murmured. “I told her I’ve always had it, but she didn’t press for more.”

“Good to know,” the older man nodded.

“I do feel bad that she’s the only YouTuber she knows in Colorado Springs, so she doesn’t have anyone to meet up with, so that’d be awesome if we met up with her at the next con,” Jack smiled. “Bob, Wade, and everyone else’d be there, too.”

“Even better!” Mark laughed. “She’ll probably be sick of us all by the end of it.”

“I highly doubt that,” the brunet chuckled, watching as his friend pulled the fritters out of the oil. Once they had sat for a minute while Mark got them each a soda, Jack groaned at the taste. “Holy fuck, these are amazin’!!”

“That’s a keeper, then,” the larger man declared, fixing up his plate. They sat on the couch and ate, enjoying each other’s company as they watched a movie to fill the silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES, I know I brought in Shixona again, but what can I say? She's awesome!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, I have a VERY busy week this week, as I’m working every day except Friday. I won’t have much time to work on this or any other fics during this time, so please bear with me for now. This is a longer chapter to help make up for that, I hope. Thanks! Enjoy~  
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story and Shixona.

X*X(July, 2014)X*X

Jack looked at Mark as they finished their packing for the drive and stay in San Diego for Comic-Con that weekend. They weren’t taking too much, since it was still within their state, but it also was only a few days.

“What time do we have to get up to leave in the mornin’ again?” he asked, already dreading the answer.

“Not super early, so don’t worry about being up before dawn,” Mark chuckled, zipping his suitcase up. “We can leave at 10, be there at around noon, depending on traffic and shit.”

“Oh, thank fuck…” Jack sighed out in relief. “I was afraid you were gonna give me some bullshit early time where’d I’d probably be a cranky asshole until I got enough coffee.”

“I know better than that, Jackaboy. Unless I have no choice, I try to avoid that torture,” the raven snickered.

“And I’d rather not claw your face off if you try to wake me up before sunrise without coffee,” the younger snorted. Mark laughed at that, moving over to Jack.

“I’ve learned the hard way to not wake you up without coffee, no matter the time,” he chuckled as Jack zipped his own suitcase closed. “You looking forward to your first con?”

“Definitely! Shixona said she’s lookin’ forward to meetin’ us in person for the first time, too,” Jack smiled brightly. “Same here, to be honest.”

“It’ll be interesting to see her in person, compared to her videos,” Mark agreed. “Well, we got a couple of hours before we need to get sleep for tomorrow. What sounds good for dinner? We’re doing takeout since I don’t want to worry about dirty dishes that have been soaking for three days when we get back.”

“Yuck, definitely not…” Jack nodded with a shudder. “How about In-N-Out?”

“Deal!” the older man grinned, going to put his shoes on. The younger man was right behind him, slipping his own shoes on as Mark grabbed his keys.

Once they left, Jack gazed out the window, watching the scenery and businesses fly by. At one point, he perked a bit, seeing a hair salon that was surprisingly close to their house he’d never seen before. It looked like a small, hole-in-the-wall place, possibly family-owned. Despite the place being closed because of the time, it looked nice. Jack enjoyed supporting those types of businesses, since they didn’t always get the income they needed to keep the place afloat.

“What got your attention, Jack?” Mark asked, having seen his attention become piqued.

“…What would you think of gettin’ our hair dyed, Mark?” the brunet questioned randomly.

“Huh?? What brought that on?” the larger man inquired, confused.

“I dunno,” Jack shrugged, using one shoulder. “I thought a change like that’d be fun.”

“I can’t say I’m against it, but maybe after the con, yeah?” Mark offered.

“That’d be great!” the smaller man grinned.

“What color would you choose?”

“Probably green, like Sam, and to match the channel,” Jack smiled. “You?”

“Red, then.”

“Really? Why red?”

“Because then we’d be Christmas colors,” Mark laughed.

“You’re such a dork!” Jack exclaimed as he burst out laughing.

“We both knew this, so why point it out again?” the raven grinned cheesily. “But the real reason is that I know red’s your favorite color.”

Jack sobered up quickly at that, staring at Mark with wide eyes. As he stared, slack-jawed, he felt a familiar, pleasant curl of warmth in his heart. “Wha…?

“Well, I’d like, if I went through with it, to due my hair your favorite color,” Mark explained with a warm smile.

The brunet didn’t know what to say to that. He looked out the window again, his cheeks burning, and mumbled, “You should dye it your favorite color, Mark, not mine… It’s _your_ hair, after all…”

The larger man grinned. “Whatever you say, Jackaboy. I’m sticking with red.”

They reached the drive-thru for In-N-Out, and as Mark rattled off their orders at the speaker (he’d had Jack’s memorized after a few times), Jack was slightly panicking. He really, _really_ hoped Mark didn’t catch on to how he felt.

He’d already made his firm decision to not tell him, since he didn’t want to ruin their relationship as best friends, nor make Mark’s life difficult. Even if the raven felt the same, Jack felt like he’d make his life more difficult because of his abilities and how clingy he is. As much as it hurt, he didn’t want to do that to him. Jack owed Mark that much, considering everything he’s done for him.

Once the order was finished and they got their food, Mark pulled into a parking space for them to eat before the food, particularly the fries, got cold. As the older man handed the brunet his food, he looked at him, concerned.

“You okay? You went quiet on me,” he asked. Jack jumped a bit at that, blushing when he realized he had definitely gone silent while internally freaking out.

“Yeah, sorry, just kinda worried, I guess,” he replied with a sheepish look.

“About…?”

“About the con. I’m nervous about if people will actually like meetin’ me in person and stuff,” the younger man lied, thinking quick. There was no way in hell he was telling the truth.

“Don’t worry so much about that, Jackaboy,” Mark soothed. “You have Bob, Wade, and me to back you up. And Shixona, too.”

“True…” Jack nodded, starting to munch on his fries. “Thanks, Mark.”

“Anytime, buddy.”

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

The next morning arrived too early for Jack, and he grumbled when he saw it was only 7 in the morning. Mark wasn’t getting up for another hour, but Jack felt wide awake. He knew it was his nervousness and anxiety acting up, making him worry about how the con would go for him.

Sighing quietly as he sat up in bed, Jack ran his hands through his hair, fluffing it up more than usual. He had a feeling that, despite not being in an actual relationship with Mark, he might get jealous if too many people hugged him. He also had a bad feeling he himself might panic a bit if he approached by a lot of people for hugs, too. It was always nice to know his fans loved his content, but he was a bit leery of the idea of being hugged by strangers to him because of his own insecurities and everything.

The brunet stood, heading to the bathroom to relieve himself and start getting ready. Once he got downstairs and started brewing coffee for them both, he nodded to himself. He would have to suppress his own feelings as best as he could while there. He couldn’t chance Mark finding out.

Jack got started on making a bit of breakfast for himself, just a simple bowl of cereal, and waited for the coffee to finish. By the time the coffee maker beeped, signaling it was done, Jack could hear Mark waking up, shuffling around in his room. Frowning slightly, he glanced at the time and saw it was 7:45 by now. His alarm hadn’t even gone off.

Soon enough, Mark came trudging down the stairs, yawning. Jack greeted him by raising his coffee mug to him, since his mouth was full of cereal at the time.

“Mornin’, Mark,” he said after swallowing.

“Good Morning, Jack,” the raven smiled tiredly. “Sleep okay last night?”

“Kinda. Woke up at seven, probably from the nerves,” Jack explained.

“I got kind of broken sleep, myself. Same thing,” Mark sighed, getting a cup of coffee.

“But everyone loves you and your videos,” the smaller man said, confused.

“Doesn’t guarantee they’ll love me in person,” the older man shrugged.

“I guess we’ll just have ta hope fer the best together,” Jack murmured. “We’re still stickin’ with the story that you picked me up on the way, right?”

“Yup. Don’t need the fans knowing we live together,” Mark chuckled.

“Oh god no,” the brunet snorted. “That’s just askin’ for crazy stalker bullshit.”

“Exactly,” the raven laughed. Sitting down at the table with some buttered toast, he asked, “So, when did you want to get set up for dying our hair?”

“Next week, after we get back and have rested a bit?” Jack suggested. “And done a vlog each for the con.”

“Sounds good. I’ll call on Monday to get us scheduled,” Mark nodded.

“Awesome!” Now excited for that, Jack smiled brightly before finishing his cereal, right as Mark finished his toast. As Mark got up, fixing himself another cup of coffee, Jack felt like going now, and started fidgeting in his seat, anxious to get moving. Problem was that it was still a bit too early to leave.

“You wanna head out now, don’t you?” Mark guessed, still facing the coffee pot. That made the brunet look at him in surprise, blinking owlishly.

“Yeah, but it’s still too early,” he admitted.

“Then we’ll kill time at Waffle House before heading to San Diego,” the raven chuckled, turning back to face him with two travel mugs. He set one down in front of Jack, adding, “I figured as much, so we’ll take some coffee to go with us.”

“…You sometimes scare me with how well you know me,” Jack uttered, narrowing his eyes at the larger man with a playful smile.

“Well, we’ve known each other so long now, I’d be mad at myself if I _didn’t_ know you as well as I do,” Mark grinned. “Come on, let’s get our bags and head out.”

The younger man nodded eagerly, getting up and putting his empty cereal bowl and spoon in the dishwasher before warping to his room to grab his suitcase and phone. Once he had that and the other last-minute items, he dragged his suitcase down the stairs and waited for Mark while putting his shoes on.

Jack’s phone buzzed once his shoes were on, and he tugged it out of his pocket to see Shixona had texted him and Mark in a group chat.

_Shixona: About to board my flight to San Diego! Can’t wait to meet you buys in person!_

Jack gave a small grin as he replied.

_Me: Same here! We’re killin’ time before heading down there. Let us know when you land!_

_Shixona: Will do! What hotel are you guys staying at?_

_Me: Manchester Grand Hyatt. You?_

_Shixona: SAME HERE!! This is gonna be awesome!!_

_Markimoo: Definitely! We’ll see you soon, then!_

Mark came down the stairs as Jack got that text in their session, and he smiled brightly at his friend.

“Ready?” the raven asked as he grabbed his keys.

“Fuck yeah! Let’s go!” Jack chirped, bouncing in place as they headed out to Mark’s CR-V. Once they loaded their suitcases into the trunk and got in their seats, Mark started up the ignition, and they headed out to Waffle House.

While Mark drove, Jack started scrolling through his Twitter feed, smiling and giving a small laugh at some of the things he saw on there. He made sure to like Bob’s and Wade’s tweets about them coming to the con, commenting, “See you there, dork!” on each one.

Shixona’s tweet was similar, expressing her excitement to be meeting the others, and looking forward to the con overall. Jack smiled slightly, but for some reason, he felt almost…nervous about meeting her. And it wasn’t the kind where he was afraid that she wouldn’t like him. It was the kind where he was afraid of what might happen during their meeting.

Glancing over to Mark, the brunet hoped his friend wouldn’t be overly protective of him. It wasn’t too bad, typically, but considering the stress of the crowds that would be at the con… There was a lot of things to be factored in.

They soon pulled in and parked at Waffle House, and Mark led the younger man in. While they chatted idly until their waitress came to take their orders, Jack sipped at his coffee, enjoying the resulting curl of warmth in his stomach. He fell quiet after a little bit, just taking in the smells and sounds of the place.

Their waitress came over and took their orders, Mark rattling both of theirs off with practiced ease, especially upon noticing Jack’s nervous and uncomfortable look when the woman practically leered at him expectantly for his. The larger man scowled at her in response, and she literally scurried away fast enough that there should have been a smoke trail behind her.

“Damn bitch…” Mark growled, annoyed, before looking at the younger man in concern. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just…didn’t expect someone to try lookin’ at me with that kinda interest…” Jack mumbled. That was part of it, but he was also taken aback by how protective Mark had been over him. The hopeful part of his mind was trying to convince him it was possessive, but he quickly stomped that down.

“It’s okay. I’ll try to keep people like that from hounding you at the con, too, okay?” the older man smiled reassuringly. Jack smiled back, grateful, and they fell into a comfortable quiet between them again.

After they’d eaten their breakfasts and Mark had taken care of the bill, they were only 30 minutes early to head down to San Diego, but that was better than almost two hours early. Jack settled in his seat with a pleased hum, his stomach full from breakfast, and he waited until they were out of the parking lot before speaking up.

“Mind if I try and nap on the way?” he asked, enjoying the warmth from the sun through the window.

“Not at all, Jackaboy. Rest up,” Mark smiled.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

Mark gently woke the smaller man when they arrived, close to noon, chuckling at his sleepy expression.

“Come on, Jackaboy. We’re here,” he smiled. Jack yawned widely, stretching a bit before climbing out of the car and stretching further. Both men perked when their phones went off with a text, and the brunet checked his, laughing when he saw Shixona’s text in their group chat.

_Shixona: I’m all settled in my room if you guys wanna drop by and say hi! Room 421 is mine._

“Let’s get ourselves checked in first, kay?” Mark suggested, pulling their bags from the trunk. Jack nodded, following after his friend with some pep in his step, dragging his suitcase along behind him.

While Mark was at the counter, Jack looked around, taking in the sights of the hotel lobby. There were also sounds and scents he would catch without trying, but they didn’t bother him. He glanced over when he saw Mark rejoining him, holding two keycards.

“Here ya go,” he said, handing the younger man his. “Let’s put our stuff in our room, then we can go say hi.”

“Sounds good,” Jack agreed, and they rode the elevator to the fourth floor…their room being 420. “Ha! Looks like she’s next ta us.”

“This should be interesting, then,” the raven laughed as he opened their room door.

It was a _gorgeous_ room, much nicer than anything Jack had seen before. The bed looked super soft, and the blankets on it appeared plush and comfy. The furniture in the main section was fancy, but warm and inviting. Overall, it had a warm brightness to it, and Jack looked forward to their stay here.

“Sorry there’s only one bed. I couldn’t get us two Queen-size,” Mark apologized as he set his suitcase by the dresser. “That’s okay, right?”

“Yeah, of course!” Jack assured him. Internally, he was panicking, though. Yeah, they’d shared a bed before, especially during Jack’s “clingy periods”, but because of his feelings for his best friend, he’d been trying not to otherwise.

A knock on the door made them both look over, surprised, but the smaller man shrugged before answering it. As soon as he opened the door, he barely caught a glimpse of brunette hair before being wrapped in a hug. At his instinctive tense, the person backed up with a worried look.

“I’m so sorry! Shitty first introduction for our first face-to-face meeting, esh…”

“Shixona?” Jack uttered, startled.

“Yep! Sorry about that, I’m a huggy person and my excitement got the best of me…” she apologized. She peered over his shoulder, spotting Mark, and grinned. “Hey Mark!”

“Nice to meet you in person finally, huh?” he chuckled, joining them. Shixona laughed brightly, nodding happily.

“Let’s talk without having prying eyes and ears from fans, hm?” she suggested, urging them in. “Sorry, but I know they’ll catch wind of shit they don’t need to know yet otherwise,” she explained as she closed the door.

“Good point,” Mark agreed, taking a seat on the sofa in the room. Jack sat next to him, leaning back to get comfortable.

“How was your flight?” Jack asked, smiling lightly.

“Not too bad. Worst part is waking up early, since I’m a night owl, but I’ll live,” she shrugged. Her brown gaze softened as she looked at them, smiling kindly. “I’ll be honest, I’ve really been looking forward to this con, and meeting you guys in person. Probably more than I should, but it’s nice to know people who understand me. I didn’t get much of that growing up.”

“What do you mean?” Mark frowned.

“Other kids. I was bullied all through school, and after taking about a year and a half after graduation to figure out my path, I decided YouTube was my best chance. I was right, thankfully,” the brunette explained. “I don’t have to deal with angry customers or whatever that refuse to realize they’re wrong. My self-confidence kinda plummeted during school.”

“Coulda fooled me,” Jack murmured sympathetically.

“YouTube’s helped. So have my parents. Father taught me how to defend myself physically, while Dad taught me how to give a proper tongue-lashing when needed,” Shixona smirked. “And by tongue-lashing, I include being a smartass with it.”

Both men laughed at the thought, and Jack couldn’t help the ease he felt already around her. It was really nice.

“Do you live with anyone?” Mark inquired, curious.

“Nope. I’m alone, other than my cat, Kitsune, since I like my privacy,” she replied. “I’m not even remotely interested in a romantic or sexual relationship, anyway, so I don’t mind. Sometimes I meet up with a couple friends, but I’m otherwise just a homebody.”

“Good god, same here,” Jack chuckled. “We try to get out, but end up fleein’ the crowds when they happen.”

“Don’t blame you,” the brunette giggled. “Bob and Wade are attending, too, right?”

“Yeah, they should be arriving sometime soon,” Mark nodded.

“You guys have all been friends for a while, right?” Shixona guessed.

“Yeh, since elementary school,” the smaller man smiled. “They’re awesome friends.”

“Sounds like it. I always laugh whenever Bob does in your collabs! It’s so contagious!” she grinned. Then she added as an afterthought, “I end up joining in when I’ve collaborated with him, too, though.”

“It’s definitely something you can’t NOT join in on,” Jack laughed.

Mark checked his phone when he got a text, at Jack’s questioning look, he said, “Speak of the devils; they’re here in the hotel, checking in.”

“Have ‘em join us!” the brunet grinned, making the raven chuckle as he nodded while replying. It didn’t take long for their friends to arrive, knocking on the door for Mark to go answer. Jack caught Shixona gain an evil look as she stood up, the younger man doing the same, and they joined Mark as he let Bob and Wade in.

“Hey guys!” Jack greeted happily, glancing over as Shixona got closer. “We were havin’ our first meetin’ with Shixona.”

“Oh, hey, nice to meet you in person finally,” Bob smiled, accepting the offered hug from the brunette. When Wade went to do the same, however…

**_SLAP!_ **

“OW!! WHY?!” the taller man yelped, sounding exactly like he did in their collabs as he held a hand to his struck cheek.

“You seriously don’t remember?” Shixona huffed, quirking a brow. At his obvious confusion, she sighed before pulling out her phone and playing a video.

It was from one of their collabs, where Jack, Mark, Wade and Shixona had been playing GTA V Online together, and in particular…this was the one where Wade kept targeting Shixona, for whatever reason. Jack clearly remembered that one.

“I swear to fuck, Wade, if you kill me one more time, I’m going to slap you so god damn hard when I see you…!!” her voice warned.

Clearly, Wade didn’t get the memo, as he laughed, before a gunshot sounded, and he killed her again.

“ _FUCKING GOD DAMMIT!!! THAT’S IT, I’M FOLLOWING THROUGH WHENEVER I SEE YOU!!!_ ” she snarled, and then the video stopped.

“I’m not one to make an idle threat, but you’re lucky I didn’t say I’d punch you,” Shixona shrugged as she tucked her phone in her pocket again. “Father taught me how to dish out a mean hook.”

Wade grumbled as he rubbed his cheek, giving her a bit of stink-eye.

“Hey, we’re even now! Don’t be all pouty!” the brunette huffed. “I don’t have any more reason to hit you unless you give me one.”

“It’s fine, Wade,” Mark chuckled. “She could have punched you and you’d have a black eye or be out cold right now, but all you’ll have is a red hand print that’ll fade.”

Bob couldn’t help laughing at that, with Jack and Mark joining in, making Shixona give a cheeky grin. “He’s right, you know~”

Wade pouted at that until Bob suggested getting some lunch together. They all calmed at and agreed, heading out to walk around to find a lunch place.

“I’m thinking either Mexican or sushi,” Shixona hummed as she looked around.

“I could _definitely_ do tacos right now,” Jack grinned in agreement. Mark chuckled, pointing to a taco shop nearby.

“There ya go, then. There’s your Candyland,” the raven smirked.

“No, my Candyland would have tacos, coffee, cookies, cake…” the smaller man listed off, grinning at his friends’ laughter.

“I swear, we had to be cut from the same cloth,” Shixona giggled as they went inside. “I need that stuff to maintain my life and function like a human being.” Tapping her bottom lip thoughtfully, she added, “Though my Candyland would also have dragons.”

“DUDE!!! SAME!!” Jack exclaimed excitedly. Shixona laughed loudly, leaning on his shoulder briefly before straightening again, adjusting her cap as she looked at the menu.

“Oooh, shrimp tacos? One of my faves!” she hummed in interest. “Can’t really get fresh seafood in Colorado. It’s typically frozen or expensive as shit to get driven over fresh on ice.”

“Brisket tacos look good,” Jack murmured. “Never had those, though.”

“Brisket’s a really high-quality cut of beef, and meant to be cooked low and slow with a smoker,” Shixona explained. “It’s super tender when it’s cooked right.”

“How do you know?” Bob asked curiously.

“Father made a brisket queso for the Superbowl one year, and it was super cheesy and meaty, so absolutely perfect,” the brunette grinned. “Best damn thing he’d made for the Superbowl ever.”

“Sounds amazing,” Mark chuckled. “Though also ass-filling.”

“Eh, if you eat too much, maybe,” she shrugged. “But the brisket’s also expensive as all hell. Wasn’t a common thing for us to buy.”

“Now you’ve got me interested,” Jack snickered.

“Well, how about this? Get the brisket tacos, and if you don’t like them, I’ll pay for the damage and you only pay for different ones,” Shixona offered, surprising him.

“Really?”

“Yup. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them, though.”

“Make it double. I’ll do the same,” Mark smirked, laughing when she grinned.

“Deal!”

“I’ll stick with chicken tacos,” Bob chuckled, as Wade went to place their orders. They all took a seat outside under one of the shade-covered tables, chatting together while their food cooked.

While they talked, Jack frowned slightly when he heard a tiny mew from somewhat nearby. Focusing briefly, he traced the sound to an alley near the corner. He let Mark know through his telepathy that he would be right back, before getting up and going to check it out.

The mew sounded again, but this time weaker and pained, spurring the brunet to hurry. He ran into the alley, gasping in shock at a huge guy holding a tiny kitten by its scruff, glaring at it and snapping at it for not being good bait for him.

“HEY!!” Jack yelled, livid. The guy snapped his gaze to him, sneering before dropping the kitten on a trash can, and then charging for Jack. Unfortunately, the younger man panicked and froze, unable to react quickly enough.

He didn’t have to react, though.

“ _Oh, no you fucking don’t!!_ ” a familiar voice snarled, before something slammed the guy into the bricks. The owner of the voice back away, not facing Jack, and the brunet realized it was Shixona.

“Go help it,” she told him firmly, gesturing briefly to the kitten. The smaller man didn’t hesitate, scurrying over and scooping the kitten up into his hold. He went back over to stand behind Shixona, Mark finding them at the same time.

“What—” he started to ask, but Jack huddled against him, before their attention was drawn to Shixona as she yelled at the guy.

“How _dare_ you use an animal to lure in your victims?!” she spat. “You don’t deserve to exist!”

The guy slowly got to his feet, scowling at her. “What do you care?! It wasn’t any of your business, so fuck off!”

“I’m not one of those people who turn a blind eye to those in trouble,” she hissed. Her expression became cold and unimpressed when she noticed something, though. “Really? You have a fucking pocketknife? Talk about fair fight.” Snorting, she added, “Might wanna try fighting fair, unless you want me to play dirty.”

“Oh, I’ll give you dirty,” the bastard growled, reaching into his pocket for the weapon. In a heartbeat, Shixona lunged forward, delivering a right hook straight to the guy’s crotch, and based on his expression…she probably did something more than a normal kick would.

As the guy crumpled to the ground, out cold, she grumbled, “Don’t mess with a boxer’s daughter, ya piece of shit.”

She returned her attention to the friends behind her, frowning worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, but… What happened??” Mark questioned, bewildered.

“I heard this kitten mewin’, and when I went to check it out…” Jack started.

“This guy was basically using the kitten’s cries to lure in unsuspecting people for him to rape,” Shixona sighed heavily, glaring at the passed-out fuck on the ground. “Let’s just leave him. I’m sure he’ll be useless to himself for a while.”

“Is the kitten okay?” Mark murmured, looking at it in Jack’s hold. The poor furball mewled pitifully, nuzzling weakly into Jack’s chest.

“Lemme take a peek,” the brunette said gently, joining them. “Dad used to help at a vet office when I was in my teens.” Reaching out and letting the kitten sniff her fingers, she whispered, “There we go, little one. You’re safe now. It’ll be okay.” After feeling along its sides and back, pausing here and there, she withdrew her hand.

“What do you think?” Jack asked quietly.

“It needs some food and such, but it’ll be fine. Probably a bath, too,” Shixona assured him. “Seems it’s taken a shine to you already, though.”

“Huh?” Jack looked down at it, and sure enough, the kitten was nuzzling into his chest, its tiny purr audible to the others. “Yeah… Seems like it…”

“You wanna keep it, huh?” Mark guessed, chuckling as he wrapped his arm around Jack’s shoulders.

“Considerin’ we just saved it, yeah, I’d like that…” the brunet mumbled, blushing shyly.

“It looks about 6 weeks, since it’s still kinda small, but at least it doesn’t need formula. Bottle-feeding kittens is rough,” Shixona chimed in. “We used to when we fostered a litter way back.”

Bob and Wade were waiting worriedly when the three made their way back over, but both cooed over the kitten Jack held. They were quickly updated on the situation, and since Wade had already finished his food, he offered to run and get some wet kitten food and other small supplies for the little one while the others ate their own meals.

As they ate, Jack tried to keep the kitten as comfortable as he could, despite his own worry for its comfort. As he swallowed the last bite of his tacos, the kitten mewled up at him, making him blink before focusing on it.

“You okay there, BB?” he asked, rubbing a finger on its fluffy little head.

“‘BB’?” Bob asked curiously.

“He just seems like a BB to me,” Jack shrugged, smiling softly at the tiny purring the newly dubbed BB emitted.

“You think it’s a boy?” Mark questioned with a chuckle.

“I wouldn’t be too surprised. The females I’ve fostered are smaller at that age,” Shixona shrugged.

“Maybe we should head back to the hotel, so we can have a bit of privacy to take care of him,” Mark suggested.

“I’ll keep him hidden in my jacket,” Jack nodded as they all got up.

“I’m letting Wade know to meet us at your room,” Bob said, pulling out his phone once they were standing, while Shixona took their trash inside and threw it in the trash can.

While they headed back to the hotel, Jack thought to Mark, ‘ _Do you think he can tell I can shift?_ ’

‘ _Maybe. I’m sure he’s just happy to get love,_ ’ the larger man smiled. ‘ _But he’s got a good home now._ ’

‘ _True,_ ’ the younger man hummed. When they reached the hotel entrance, he hid BB in his jacket, gently shushing him so he would stay quiet.

By the time they got to their room, Wade was on his way back, according to Bob when he got the text. Jack plopped on the king-size bed, letting BB explore.

“He’s really cute,” Shixona cooed, sitting at the desk and turning the office chair to face him.

“Bet he’ll be a fluffy cat as he gets bigger,” Mark chuckled, sitting with Jack. There was a knock on the door, which Bob answered after checking, letting Wade in with the bags of kitten supplies he had. Including a small bag of litter.

“Couldn’t decide what all to get exactly, but I got the basics,” he said, setting the supplies on the coffee table.

“Thanks a ton, Wade,” Jack smiled, laughing when BB climbed on his chest while he was lying back. “You hungry, BB?” The shrill, answering mew was enough. Chuckling, the brunet held his new kitten as he stood, going over to grab a can and scoop some wet food in one of the bowls.

As BB ate eagerly, making a little happy noise on occasion, Jack could hear Mark in a quiet discussion with the others, but he couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. That was odd, because his senses overall were much stronger than anyone else. As curious as he was, though, he wasn’t about to listen in with his telepathy. He never liked to use it with people he knew.

Frowning slightly at the worry he could feel from the others, Jack returned his attention to BB when the little guy mewed up at him. He recognized the sound as a needy one for something, and he figured it had to be to for him to use the litterbox.

“Let’s get you set up, okay?” he murmured, scooping BB up and holding him close as he grabbed the litter pan and a cup to scoop litter in to fill it. After filling it, he let BB do his business while checking in with the others.

“Hey guys,” he smiled as he joined them. “Everythin’ okay?”

“Yeah, just talking about the con,” Bob assured him.

“And talking about the panel for tomorrow,” Wade added. Jack noticed a flicker of worry flash across Mark’s face, confusing him a bit.

“Would you like some company during the panel tomorrow, Jack?” Shixona asked after a moment. At his surprised expression, she explained, “I’m passing on my panel this time. There are always more cons to do that at, and besides, I need a small break from ‘em. I’m happy just hanging out with friends and seeing fans on the con floor.”

“Yeah, I’d really like that,” the brunet smiled, and felt Mark’s relief as though it was palpable. “It’ll be nice to have someone with me to make Mark lose focus.”

“Hey!” Mark pouted, making the others laugh. Once they all sobered up, Shixona sighed a little.

“Well, I’m gonna head back to my room and shower. I really need to wash off the plane and other people,” she said, cringing a little. “That, and choose clothes that won’t make me roast in the California heat. My denim jacket was a bad idea…”

“Jackets really aren’t necessary here unless it’s rainin’, to be honest,” Jack chuckled, blinking when he heard BB mewing at his feet. “Oh, all right, c’mere, ya little goober,” he smiled, picking the gray fuzzball up. At this point he really wanted to play with BB as a cat, but he couldn’t if Bob and Wade lingered.

“I’m gonna check in with Mandy, myself,” Bob shrugged, and Wade nodded.

“Same for me with Molly.”

“We’ll catch you guys in a couple of hours or so, then and we can wander the floor to check the merch and see some fans,” Mark grinned, seeing them all to the door. Once it was closed behind them, Jack laid back on their bed, giggling when BB climbed up to his chest and started licking his chin with his tiny, sandpaper-like tongue.

“You’re so affectionate,” he cooed, stroking his fingers along BB’s back.

“I’ll bet you’re eager to play with him, huh?” the raven guessed as he sat next to him.

“You know me too well,” Jack laughed, before carefully sitting up and setting BB next to him before shifting. The little kitten appeared startled for only a moment, before going right over and rubbing against him.

‘ _He must recognize my scent,_ ’ the younger reasoned to Mark. ‘ _Go ahead and grab one of the toys Wade bought! We’ll see how he does._ ’

Mark went over and picked out a bell ball from the bag, tossing it out onto the floor and making it jingle. Jack was quick to leap after it, batting the ball around and making sure BB was watching. Sure enough, the little guy’s eyes were following the ball, his ears twitching from the jingling.

BB lunged for the ball when Jack batted it away once again, and Jack laughed as he shifted back, smiling.

“There we go,” he said, sitting on the bed. Looking to his friend, he added, “Lookin’ forward to the fun, and yer panel.”

“Definitely,” Mark grinned, plopping down on the bed with him. “Let’s relax in the meantime until the others are ready to get dinner.”

“Sounds good,” the brunet murmured, settling back. It would be an eventful weekend at the con, that was for sure.


	7. Chapter 7

X*X(1 Week Later)X*X

“How do I look?” Jack asked, grinning as he showed Mark his freshly-dyed green hair.

“Very nice!” his friend chuckled. “Glad it didn’t take as long as we thought, though.”

“Oh my god, yeah. I’m excited ta record with this look now!” the younger man laughed, and Mark joined in from his excitement. Once the larger man got up from his seat where he’d been waiting for Jack, running a hand through his own freshly-dyed red hair, he led the smaller man to the counter to pay.

While Mark added on shampoo to the purchase to help keep their dye in longer, Jack thought back to when Shixona spoke with him during the weekend at the con. She had managed to take him aside in private while Mark was getting ready for his panel, and asked if he had feelings for Mark.

Jack had tried to play it off, but soon gave in, admitting he did. He confessed to her that he was terrified to tell him because he didn’t want to drag him down or hold him back from better things. He explained about how he sometimes got anxious without Mark beside him, too.

Shixona had listened patiently, even comforted him when he teared up about believing Mark didn’t feel the same, and then she spoke. The brunette soothed him, and encouraged him to say something before his feelings ate at him too much. She reminded him she’s always available to talk if he wants or needs to, too.

She even added that she noticed Mark was extremely protective of him, and had shown a bit of jealousy at some points, too. Considering that, she urged him to not give up, and try to tell him. Jack thanked her, and they quickly returned to the panel, taking their seats in the crowd near the front.

Shixona had shown time and time again that she was an amazing friend, and definitely wise beyond her years. It had been so nice to meet her in-person and talk to her and everything. She’d even provided some helpful tips for caring for BB.

Speaking of which…

BB had quickly grown accustomed to their home when they brought him back after the con. He slept in Jack’s room, cuddling up with him at night to sleep, and even snuggled in his lap during recording sessions. They’d gotten a vet appointment scheduled for him next week to get his first vaccines, and had been loving on him so much. The tiny kitten was a definite member of their little family.

“How about some lunch?” Mark asked as they headed back to the car. “I’m starving.”

“What’re you thinkin’?” the green-haired man asked, climbing into the passenger side.

“Tacos?”

“Tacos.”

Decision made, Mark backed the car out of the parking space and headed out for a good taco place near their house. Jack got fish tacos while Mark got carne asada, then they headed back to eat and hang out at home.

“You gonna do a vlog for the new hair?” Mark asked when they pulled into the garage.

“Duh, just gotta enjoy the tacos first,” Jack laughed, hopping out with their order.

They ate their food in a comfortable quiet, both eager to record their respective vlogs about their dye-jobs, before parting to do just that. Jack sat at his desk with BB curling up in his lap, setting up his tech for the video. Then he started recording.

“Top o’ the mornin’ to ya, laddies! My name is Jacksepticeye, and today, I have some news!” he greeted, adjusting his red beanie. He’d made sure to slip that on before starting so as not to give it away immediately.

“Now, I’m sure you all enjoyed the pictures from the con, plus the vlog after I got home Sunday, so you must all be wonderin’ why I’m makin’ another vlog so soon, right?” He grinned brightly, excited by his little reveal.

“Weeellll…I got my hair dyed!” he announced, tugging off the beanie to show the green. “This was somethin’ I’d considered since before the con, and Mark even offered to dye his hair with me. I’ll let him show his off in his own vlog, though.”

BB mewled up at him when Jack began to ramble off on games he wanted to play soon and such, making him pause.

“Am I ramblin’ too much? Or just bein’ too loud again?” he asked, giggling. “Well, either way…”

“That’s all for this video! If you liked this video, punch that like button in the face, LIKE A BOSS!! And…! High fives all around!” He did his high fives with the sound effects, before crying out his intro. “And I’ll see all you dudes…IN THE NEXT VIDEO!!” He purposely made his voice crack, as usual, before ending the recording. BB jumped a little, still getting used to the noise Jack made like that, before chirruping and climbing onto Jack’s shoulder.

“I know, buddy, I know,” the green-haired man smiled, scratching behind BB’s ears. Jack set out to edit the video, and blushed out of embarrassment when he realized a good portion of the recording was him talking about Mark. Quickly, he edited out as much as he could without making it too obvious, his anxiety hitting him in small bursts.

‘ _This is gettin’ bad…_ ’ he thought worriedly. He honestly didn’t know how much longer he could keep his feelings from Mark. He knew Mark missed things often, like his phone or keys when they were in plain sight, but this? Jack knew his friend wouldn’t be oblivious forever.

Biting his lip so he wouldn’t make a sound, Jack scooped BB into his hands, holding him to his chest to comfort him as he uploaded the vlog to YouTube. He then shut down his tech before quietly going to his bedroom and shutting the door, locking it with a soft click.

Jack felt his emotional state spiraling into hopelessness, and he couldn’t stop it. He laid on his side in bed with BB snuggling against his chest, sniffling quietly. Forcing himself to calm his thoughts some, he focused on letting Mark know he was going to lie down.

‘ _I’m gonna get a bit of sleep, Mark… I feel really tired suddenly…_ ’ he thought, whimpering to himself once he cut the connection. He felt BB’s tongue rasp against his chin, and he gave his kitten a watery smile.

“What am I gonna do, BB?” he whispered, before burying his face in his pillow. He heard his phone buzz, and knew Mark had texted him, but he didn’t want to check it. The green-haired man didn’t want to deal with life right now. He just wanted to leave reality for a while.

Ever since Jack had realized his feelings for Mark after his first “clingy period”, they’d only grown more, already giving him difficulty with hiding them. The past weekend at the hotel for the con didn’t help that, either. Having to share the bed with Mark had been rough, to say the least.

Jack had wanted to snuggle up against him, but fought the urge, trying to keep a bit of space. It made him feel hollow in his chest, and even though he’d gone to sleep near the edge of the mattress, he would still wake up cuddled into Mark’s side. He would curse himself out in his head, and then pull away to go to the bathroom.

It hurt, trying to fight his strong feelings this way, but it was for the best, was his reasoning. He didn’t want to hold Mark back from having a good relationship with someone more…normal, and hence a good life.

That thought alone made him flinch like a knife had been twisted into his heart.

Jack let out a small sob into his pillow as the first tears spilled, just letting the pain and heartache that had built up out. It was better this way, no matter how much pain he would deal with.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

When Jack woke up, having cried himself to sleep at some point, it was to insistent knocking on his door. Glancing at the time on his phone, he saw it was 3 in the morning. He’d slept over 12 hours, and currently felt like complete shit.

“Jack? Jack, can you hear me?” Mark called through the door. “I’m really worried about you! Let me in, please?”

“…” The smaller man bit his lip, fighting back more tears at the words.

“Just talk to me, please!” the older man pleaded. At that, a whimper escaped Jack, and he couldn’t stop the pitiful sound he made if he’d tried. “What can I do, Jack?”

“…There’s nothing…” the green-haired man whined, burying himself under his blankets and letting the tears flow. ‘ _Unless you can love me back…_ ’ he thought miserably to himself.

Mark went quiet for a moment in the hall, before asking, “You love me?”

Jack stiffened in horror, realizing he had projected to the red-haired man unintentionally. He jolted upright in his panic, eyes wide in panic and his chest heaving with the effort of trying to breathe in his anxious state.

“ _YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO KNOW!!_ ” he screamed, going into a full-blown panic attack. Vaguely, he was aware of BB scrabbling under the bed. He scrambled out of bed, wanting to escape somehow, and blacked out.

The next thing Jack was aware of, Mark was in his room, crouched in front of him, and pulling him into a hug. The younger man wasn’t able to resist, and sobbed into his best friend’s chest, the sound ripping through his chest and tearing out from his throat.

After what seemed like hours, Jack finally started to calm, feeling the warmth of Mark’s hand smoothing up and down his back. His cries and sobs slowly died down to whimpers and sniffles, and he curled in on himself, not wanting to look at Mark.

“I’m so sorry, Jack…” the red-haired man murmured, his hand not slowing. Jack tensed further, feeling his heart begin to break. Mark gently tilted Jack face up by his chin, looking at him intently. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I was afraid to because I wasn’t sure and I didn’t want to hurt you…but I love you, too.”

And then he pressed his lips to Jack’s.

The green-haired man was pretty sure his brain short-circuited at the contact. He was usure he stopped breathing. Then his heart kicked his ass into gear, and he kissed back, whimpering into it as he wrapped his arms around the larger man’s neck, keeping himself close. Tears streaked down his cheeks again as he began to cry once more, but this time out of relief.

Mark’s arms were wrapped around his waist, but after a bit, he adjusted his hold on Jack to pick him up and hold him bridal-style against his chest. The smaller man blushed when he realized how he was being held, turning his face into Mark’s chest to hide his blush a bit. He heard crunching as Mark stepped out of his room and went to the master bedroom, and was confused.

“Mark…?” he whispered, his voice hoarse and rasping from how much he’d been crying and when he’d screamed. “What…?”

“You broke some stuff in your room when you panicked…” the red-haired man murmured. “It’s okay, though.”

When they got to Mark’s room, the older man laid Jack on his bed, sliding in with him and holding him close to himself. After tugging the comforter over them both, he pressed a kiss to Jack’s forehead, before pulling back and looking at him seriously.

“How long have you felt this way, Jack?” he asked calmly, cupping his jaw with one hand and rubbing his thumb along his jawline.

“I didn’t realize it until after that first ‘clingy period’ I had…” Jack mumbled, biting his lip a bit. “But I know I’ve loved you for a long time…” Lowering his gaze to the sheets, he added quietly, “I was afraid you wouldn’t feel the same ‘cause I’m so different ‘cause of my abilities… I didn’t wanna hold you back from a proper relationship with someone more normal…so I hid my feelin’s as best as I could… I didn’t want ta use my telepathy to find out, either, ‘cause I was scared ta find out…”

Jack was quickly crushed against Mark’s chest, the larger man burying his face in Jack’s neck. He inhaled a shaky breath, letting it out before replying.

“I’m **_SO_** sorry, Jack… I never should have hesitated like I did in saying something…” Mark apologized, immense regret in his voice. “I’ve loved you since I was 17, but I afraid to tell you because of our family bond… I also couldn’t tell because of how cuddly you got with me as it is, but thinking back, I should have known…”

Jack whined at the words, snuggling closer…until his stomach growled, demanding food since he hadn’t eaten since 1 in the afternoon yesterday. He blushed, embarrassed, even as Mark chuckled as he backed away enough to look at him.

“Let’s get something to eat, kay?” he smiled, kissing his forehead again. “I need food, too, because I didn’t eat since I was worried about you.”

“Okay…” the green-haired man nodded with a small smile of his own. Mark got up from the bed, but before Jack could move to do the same, the older man leaned over and picked him up again, holding him bridal-style once more. Jack blushed again as he was held, making Mark laugh lightly.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Jackaboy,” he smirked, heading to the stairs. “I like holding you, and now I enjoy it even more.”

Jack pouted a bit, before perking when he heard BB’s little mew from his room. “Mark, BB’s under my bed! He hid when I panicked earlier…”

“Let’s get the little guy and make sure he knows it’s okay, then,” the red-haired man soothed, going to Jack’s bedroom. The younger man’s eyes widened in horror when he saw the state of his bedroom.

A small bookshelf had been smashed, wooden splinters jutting sharply from it and wood chips scattered on the floor in front of it, and a couple of shelves that had been mounted on the wall were in pieces on the floor, looking like they’d been torn down from their mounts.

“I…” he started, but trailed off, not knowing what to say.

“…You broke that stuff during our panic attack,” Mark told him quietly. “As soon as I heard the first crash, I grabbed the key to your door and came in to help you.”

“I don’t even…remember…” Jack admitted. “I just blacked out…”

BB mewed nervously from under Jack’s bed, and the green-haired man gave a gentle purr in response, coaxing the kitten out from hiding. Jack made another calming sound, using his sound mimicry, and BB hurried over, Mark bending down enough to let BB crawl into Jack’s hold.

“I’m so sorry I scared you, Beebs,” the smaller man soothed, petting the fluffy little guy as Mark straightened up again and resumed the trek downstairs. BB snuggled into Jack’s chest, pleased everything was okay again.

When they got to the kitchen, Mark set Jack on the counter, kissing his forehead again before turning to go look in the fridge. After a bit of digging, he pulled out some bacon, cheddar cheese, and mayo from the fridge, and then grabbed a loaf of bread from the cabinet.

“Bacon grilled cheese sound good?” he asked, and Jack’s stomach answered for him with a demanding snarl. The red-haired man laughed in response, setting the strips of bacon in a pan as it heated up.

Jack slid off the counter and set BB on the counter instead as he wrapped his arms around Mark from behind, nuzzling his face into the space between his shoulder blades.

“…You have no idea how much I’ve had ta keep myself from doin’ this…” he mumbled against him. “I was tryin’ ta keep my feelin’s from gettin’ stronger, but it didn’t help for shite…”

Mark paused in his motions of spreading mayo on one side of slices of bread, before setting what he was holding on a plate and wiping his hands off. He then turned around, holding the green-haired man against him lovingly. After a minute, he tilted Jack’s face up to look at him with a finger under his chin, and kissed him tenderly.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t say anything sooner, Jack, I truly am…” he whispered as he pulled back. “I don’t know if I can ever make up for the pain you went through this whole time, but I’ll do whatever I can to do just that.”

“Just havin’ you like this is enough,” Jack assured him, smiling lightly.

The bacon suddenly started popping behind Mark, making him curse and return his attention to it. The smaller man giggled, and waited as patiently as he could for their food to be finished, despite his stomach cramping from the need for food.

Once Mark turned back to him, he had two bacon grilled cheese sandwiches on a plate for Jack, and one on another plate.

“Mark, what about you?” Jack frowned.

“I munched a little bit in the afternoon, so I’m not as hungry as I’m sure you are,” the taller man shrugged. “Now come on, let’s go sit in bed and eat.”

“Lemme guess: eat and pass out while cuddlin’, huh?” the younger man smirked.

“Winner,” Mark grinned, leading him to his room.

Once they finished eating (Jack having eaten every last bite of his two sandwiches), they laid together under the comforter, Jack curled into Mark’s chest and giving a faint purr as exhaustion urged him into unconsciousness.

“Get some sleep, Jackaboy. I’ll be here when you wake up,” Mark murmured, kissing his forehead softly. “I love you.”

“Love you, too, Markimoo,” the green-haired man mumbled tiredly. He was out within seconds, the warm presence of Mark filling his senses and following him into his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this is disappointing, since the last chapter was so long, and this one’s only 6 pages, but I did what I could with what I had. I’m just glad to be able to FINALLY get the relationship between these two adorable goobers going on New Year’s Day. Thanks, guys!  
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story and Shixona.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, I understand there was a little bit of surprise about Jack’s panic when he realized he projected to Mark that he loves him. He broke the stuff he did in that sheer panic, but because of what he is…he has some enhanced strength in high-stress situations. And I’m not talking like, lifting a car off of a loved one sort of deal. A panic attack, a highly uncomfortable situation, getting really pissed off, and even sex. No, I’m not revealing just quite yet still, but again, the guesses are closed. XD  
> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story and Shixona.

X*X(2 Weeks Before Christmas)X*X

Time felt like it had flown since Jack learned of Mark’s mutual feelings for him, and every moment had been like a dream for Jack. They would wake up in each other’s arms, and since Jack was always horrible about getting up, Mark made it better by kissing him and running his fingers through his hair to coax him into getting up.

Today was no exception, the smaller man humming appreciatively as he felt the red-haired man’s lips press against his own, then move to his jawline before trailing down to his neck. It was different for Mark to go somewhere other than his lips during these times, but Jack wasn’t protesting. In fact, it felt good.

“Good morning, Jackaboy,” Mark rumbled against his collarbone, his voice thick and low with sleep. That voice alone did something to Jack, and he whined, feeling heat begin to pool in his belly.

“Mark…” he breathed, clinging to the red-haired man’s shoulders. Need flooded him, and despite never having an erection, he knew what was happening. He couldn’t explain how he knew, but he did.

Mark shifted in place against Jack, and they both moaned at the friction, making Jack realize that his boyfriend was just as affected as he was. The older man backed away enough to look Jack in the eyes, and the green-haired man saw how his pupils were dilated with lust.

“You want me to keep going?” he asked. Again, his voice was rough, but now the desire was audible, too.

“Don’t you fuckin’ _dare_ stop,” Jack growled, grinding against Mark’s thigh and drawing a groan from each of them. Mark growled lowly against the pale skin of Jack’s neck as his hand slid down along Jack’s slim waist, dipping down to his hip and tugging the band of his boxer briefs down.

The younger man whimpered with his need, wordlessly pleading for more, before crying out in pleasure when he felt Mark’s warm hand wrap around his cock. A heavy shudder coursed through him, drawing a shaky moan from him, and his grip on Mark’s shoulders tightened.

“Feels good?” Mark panted in his ear, and Jack nodded fervently, needing more. He thrust into the grip on his cock, a shock of pleasure shooting through him.

“You’re so gorgeous like this, Jack…” Mark groaned, rutting against his thigh. “All those sounds you’re making…”

“More, Mark, please…!” the green-haired man pleaded, and his boyfriend obliged, pumping him to bring him to orgasm.

Through his own lust, Jack managed to move one of his hands down to Mark’s boxer briefs and slide his hand in past the article of clothing, grabbing Mark’s dick and squeezing his shaft.

The larger man’s motions stuttered at that, a groan escaping him as he continued. The smaller man copied Mark’s movements, helping to bring them both to completion. It didn’t take much longer before Jack felt the heat in his gut coil tightly, about ready to snap.

“Mark, I-I’m—” he tried to get out, but couldn’t get the words out before he came, screaming Mark’s name. He whimpered as Mark kept going, stroking him through his orgasm. Jack soon felt his boyfriend take his hand out of his underwear, and it wasn’t long after that a heavy groan sounded as he came, too.

Jack panted and tried to catch his breath, still feeling the aftershocks of pleasure while coming down from his high. That had been amazing, and it felt so good. Even before the incident after the con, Jack hadn’t been turned on like that, let alone gotten off to anything. To have been able to have that level of intimacy with Mark like that just now… It was fantastic.

Mark grinned against his shoulder, having come down from the clouds himself, pressing a light kiss there before finally speaking.

“One helluva way to wake up before we go home, huh?” he chuckled. Jack mumbled his agreement, snuggling closer to the red-haired man’s warmth. “C’mon, Jackaboy, we gotta get up. We’re heading out to see Mom and everyone for the holidays, remember?”

“But you’re warm, and I wanna cuddle…” the younger man pouted.

“I know, boo, but I’ll make you coffee and we can cuddle on the plane,” Mark soothed. “I promise.”

“Fiiiine…” Jack grumbled, pulling away with a yawn. He cringed at the feeling of the drying cum in his underwear, mumbling out, “I need a shower first…”

“You do that. I’ll shower after, but for now, I’ll just wipe myself off,” the older man shrugged, letting Jack slide out of bed. “I’ll get some of the last-minute things packed up in the meantime.”

“Don’t forget to feed BB, too, kay?” the green-haired man reminded him before disappearing into the bathroom.

“Will do! And don’t use all the hot water!” Mark yelled back. Jack merely laughed as he started up the shower.

While Jack washed himself down, being sure to scrub the cum off, too, he thought about how excited he was to be able to take a week with Mark back in Cincinnati to themselves before going to their mom’s house for the holidays. They were, of course, going to visit Bob, Wade, Mandy, and Molly, and even stop by in Colorado on the way home to visit Shixona. By the time they got there, she would have been back home for a few days.

When they’d offered, she’d been ecstatic, more than excited to see her friends so soon after Christmas. She always came home before New Year’s, and typically Skyped her parents for it, but now she wouldn’t be alone with her cat for company. But she would now be hosting them for about a week.

Jack had to honest with himself that he was nervous about telling their friends and family about their relationship, considering they all knew they’d grown up as family and had been so close. It might be seen as weird for them to be a couple with that background.

After washing his hair and rinsing out the shampoo, he stepped out, rubbing a towel through his hair and then wrapping it around his waist. Before leaving the bathroom, he thought about how they’d gotten each other off that morning. Jack wouldn’t be against more wakeups like that, though he was still a tiny bit nervous about actual sex. Even so, he knew Mark would be patient and never rush him with that.

‘ _Mark, shower’s free!_ ’ he called to his boyfriend, pulling out a clean pair of boxer briefs from his dresser drawer and slipping them on before Mark walked in on him. He heard the familiar footsteps approaching one the stairs as he put some deodorant on, and tugged on a t-shirt right before the door opened.

“There better still be hot water, Jackaboy,” Mark warned playfully, and Jack smirked.

“Guess you’ll have ta find out, Markimoo,” he teased, grabbing the jeans he’d set out the night before. He laughed at the older man’s amused snort, waiting until the bathroom door was closed before dropping the towel and sliding his jeans on and buckling his belt.

Once he’d put his socks on and grabbed his own last-minute things like his phone, charger, a beanie, and his hoodie (not that he needed it now, but he would during the flight), he warped down to the kitchen to get his coffee before they had to go.

Even though they were taking a taxi to the airport so they didn’t have to pay for the car to sit in the airport parking lot, Jack couldn’t afford to nap until they were boarded for the flight. If he napped in the taxi, he wouldn’t want to get up when they arrived at the airport.

A smile curved his lips as he thought about the time they would have before going to their mom’s house. That week alone was supposed to be a snowy one, especially out in the cabin Mark had rented. He refused to show Jack pictures, wanting to surprise him, but it would be worth it.

Jack sipped at his coffee, humming at the pleasant warmth that followed, then perking when he heard BB trotting down the stairs, signaled by the jingle of the bell on his collar. BB padded over and rubbed against the green-haired man’s legs, purring happily when he received ear scratches in return.

By now, BB was about six months, and he’d certainly gotten bigger. He wasn’t at his full size yet, but he was getting bigger, that much was for sure. They’d gotten him neutered a couple of weeks back, so he was fully recovered and his incision had healed up nicely. It gave Jack comfort knowing he wouldn’t be tempted to roam, especially while they were gone. Tyler and Ethan were going to house sit and pet sit for them, too, so he wouldn’t be totally alone.

“You’d better behave for Tyler and Ethan, Beebs,” he murmured, chuckling at the chirrup he got in response.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine with him. BB’s pretty mellow, after all,” Mark pointed out as he came downstairs. “They already have the instructions you wrote up, too.”

“I just wanted to be thorough…” the smaller man pouted with a blush. “We haven’t left him here like this before…”

“Well, just think about how excited he’ll be when we come home, then,” the red-haired man suggested. Once he took a drink of his own coffee, he said, “The taxi should be here soon. You got everything?”

“Yup. Just gotta put my shoes on,” Jack nodded, running his fingers through his hair in slight nervousness. He’d recently re-dyed it to maintain the color, and Mark had done the same with his.

“…Hey, don’t worry so much. I know you hate heights and flying, but I’ll do my damnedest to keep you calm,” Mark soothed, hugging him briefly and kissing his forehead.

“I know… Thank you,” the younger sighed, pausing when he heard the sound of the taxi slowing to a stop out front. “Sounds like our ride’s here.”

“Here, I’ll load our suitcases up, and you put BB in his room,” his boyfriend said, going to the door and tugging his shoes on before hauling their luggage outside.

Jack slipped his own shoes on before scooping BB up in his arms and carrying him up to what used to be Jack’s bedroom but had become BB’s by now. He set him on the bed, stroking his hand along BB’s head and back a few times.

“We’ll be back in a few weeks, BB, I promise,” he whispered. “You be good, and I’ll give you lots of cuddles when we come home. Love you, Beebs.” BB meowed back, rubbing against him briefly before lying on the pillows at the head of the bed.

‘ _Good god, I’m actin’ like a parent leavin’ their kid for the first time…_ ’ he thought with a sigh as he left the room. Once he closed the door, he hurried downstairs and met up with Mark at the front door, snagging his backpack (his choice of carryon bag) before stepping outside with him. Mark locked the front door behind them, and they went down the steps and climbed into the taxi.

Once the driver began the drive to the airport, Jack yawned, leaning against Mark’s shoulder. He didn’t want to fall asleep on the drive there, but with it being dark in the back and Mark’s warmth right against him…it was difficult.

“Jack, I know it’s 3:30 in the morning, but you know what’ll happen if you fall asleep on me now,” Mark warned. The green-haired man pouted, not wanting to move. “If you fall asleep before we get to the airport, I’ll have to carry you bridal-style…”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Jack glared up at him.

“If that’ll keep you awake for now, then I will.”

“…” The younger man grumbled, but straightened up in his seat, leaning back against it instead.

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

It seemed like a blur by the time they arrived in Cincinnati and were in the rental car, heading to the cabin Mark had rented, Jack having slept the entire flight snuggled into Mark’s side with his arm wrapped around the smaller man’s shoulders comfortingly. They’d just raised the armrest between them so it was out of the way.

“If you wanna sleep some more, Jack, feel free to. It’s gonna be a little while until we’re there,” Mark offered, smiling at him briefly before returning his attention to the road.

“Can we get some food before we actually head out? I’m pretty hungry…” Jack asked sheepishly.

“That’s a good idea, to be honest. We didn’t eat at all this morning, so yeah, now my stomach’s complaining,” the older man sighed, wincing as his stomach audibly growled.

They went through a McDonald’s drive-thru to get some lunch, and the resumed the drive, Jack settling in the passenger seat and gazing out the window as they went. He was happy there was snow already covering the ground, as he’d always enjoyed those days with Mark when they were younger. They would watch movies and eat popcorn or other snacks while huddled together under a thick blanket, sipping at hot chocolate. Those were fond memories.

Jack blinked awake, not having realized he’d fallen asleep at some point while staring outside. He looked around, trying to figure out what had happened, and realized they had stopped.

“Where are we?” he wondered aloud.

“We’re at our home for the next week,” Mark chuckled.

“Wait, what?!” the smaller man yelped, shocked. When Mark had first suggested them going home early to spend a week together enjoying the snow before going to their mom’s house for Christmas, he’d assumed they’d stay in a hotel. But a cabin? It was even better, and now they could _definitely_ enjoy the snow out here.

“Do you like it?” the red-haired man asked a bit nervously.

“Are you kiddin’?! I love it!” Jack grinned. “It’s gorgeous out here! And the snow’s so beautiful out here like this, too!”

“That’s what I was going for, actually,” Mark smiled. “There’s even a hot tub to sit in and watch the snowfall.”

“…” Jack felt himself about to tear up, he was that happy. Instead, he lunged over the console and hugged his boyfriend in thanks. “It’s perfect, Mark…” he whispered, turning his head a little to kiss his cheek.

“You deserve it, Jackaboy,” the larger man chuckled, before pulling back. “C’mon, let’s get unloaded and get cozy, yeah?”

“Fuck yeah!” the green-haired man exclaimed, bolting from the car. He tugged his suitcase from the trunk, his backpack on his back and started hurrying to the door. He bounced in place as Mark joined him, the older man unlocking the door with the key he’d been mailed before arriving.

Jack was wide-eyed with excitement as he raced in, leaving his shoes and luggage by the door before exploring. Everything was so warm and cozy, the living room containing a couch made of sturdy wood and covered with thick, soft fabric and stuffed with plush filling, an equally plush throw pillow at each end. The coffee table in front of it was made from the same wood, as was the entertainment center under the wall-mounted TV. The end tables on each side of the couch had a table lamp on them, and provided a pleasant light source. Even a crackling fireplace was burning at a lower flame near the far wall.

The kitchen was spacious, and made Jack feel like it was a warmer, rustic version of their kitchen in LA. He could catch the faint scent, even for his senses, of food in the fridge, so he guessed it was fully stocked. There was no dining room, just a bar on one side of the kitchen as a makeshift wall, with a few barstools tucked in against it.

Making his way down the hallway, Jack poked his head into the first room, a simple laundry room, which was good to have, since Jack knew they only had a week’s-worth of clothes each, along with some spare stuff just in case. If they went to their mom’s house and had to wash their clothes right away, that would bring them some unwanted questions. After all, they hadn’t told _anyone_ about them coming out here a week early for this.

When Jack got to the bedroom, however…his jaw about dropped, a surprised flush forming on his cheeks. The bed was clearly a king-size, a nightstand with a lamp on both sides, just by appearance alone, the bed looked _extremely_ comfy and warm. Overall, it had an intimate atmosphere to it, a realization that had Jack thinking about their time here.

The bathroom was connected through a door on the far wall, and when Jack poked his head in, he realized it had a tall, glass-wall shower and a hot tub-style bathtub. For a bathroom, it was surprisingly spacious, too.

“What do you think?” Mark asked, walking over with their suitcases. “It’s perfect, huh?”

“I really love it, Mark,” the younger man murmured, smiling happily at him. He pushed his thoughts to the side to ponder later. “It really is perfect~”

“Good to know,” the red-haired man chuckled. “Wanna shower off the smell of the plane while I unpack our stuff? I know you couldn’t get very comfortable until you were clean last time.”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind…” Jack mumbled, blushing in embarrassment. His senses usually just screamed at him until he could shower after travel like that. He just felt itchy all over until he washed it all off.

“Not at all. I’ll be sure to leave you a set of your softer sleep pants and a shirt when I’m done,” Mark smiled softly, kissing his hairline before turning to leave the room. “Lemme look through the fridge for something to make for dinner tonight while you get ready for the shower.”

And then he was gone.

Jack didn’t hesitate, going into the bathroom after he stripped out of his clothes and fished out his toiletries bag from his suitcase. Folding up a bath towel that was hanging on the rack and setting it on the back of the toilet so it was within reach when he was done, the green-haired man turned on the shower to a heat that would leave his skin pink when he was done.

As Jack let the water spray over him, he thought about everything in the cabin, how intimate it all appeared. This place was definitely meant for couples. Of course, he and Mark were a couple, but this place was more like a honeymoon location than anything. This was really making him consider actually having sex with his boyfriend. The hand jobs they’d given each other just that morning was making him want more.

They’d never discussed it, though. Despite the lack of communication on the topic, Jack was fairly certain that Mark had picked this place for more than just the scenic location in the winter like this. Jack agreed it was gorgeous, no denying that. But this was an intimate setting for them to be alone.

…It would be a shame to waste the time here.

With that thought in mind, Jack hurried through the rest of his shower, making sure to be thorough with his lower half. While wrapping the towel around his waist once he’d run it over his hair, he made a mental note to do a little bit of research. _Without_ pictures.

Upon exiting the bathroom, the warm aroma of chicken and Mexican spices hit him, and it brought a smile to Jack’s face. It smelled like Mark was making chicken tacos for them. That was exciting on its own, but Jack knew he had to do some internet searching before he went out there.

Quickly, the green-haired man dressed himself, pulling on the clothes Mark had left out, deciding against the pair of boxer briefs after a moment’s hesitation and tucking them into the dresser drawer. He sat on the edge of the vanity, not wanting to mess up the bed covers by sitting on the bed, and looked up what he needed to online. Within minutes, his face was burning crimson, so he stopped after a bit, but he got what he needed for general information.

Taking a deep breath, trying to calm his flush, Jack then left the bedroom, heading to the kitchen to eat and see his boyfriend. When Jack saw Mark was listening to music playing from his phone as he cooked and hence, hadn’t noticed the younger man’s presence yet, he smirked. Jack crept up behind him and wrapped his arms around Mark’s waist, resting his forehead against the space in between the older man’s shoulder blades.

“Hey Jackaboy,” Mark chuckled, glancing at him. “Dinner’s about ready. Have a good shower?”

“Mm-hmm,” Jack hummed, pressing closer. “Chicken tacos, right? Smells like it, anyway.”

“You and that nose of yours,” the red-haired man laughed lightly. “But yes, one of your favorites.”

“You’re the best, Markimoo,” the smaller man grinned, raising his head to press a light kiss to the back of Mark’s neck. He felt the responsive shiver, and that was really confirming his earlier thoughts.

“I try.” Mark’s huffed laugh was slightly shaky. Barely noticeable, even if you knew him, but Jack knew him better than anyone. He was tempted to check his thoughts, but he felt guilty even considering it.

The clanking of the pan being tapped by the wooden utensil Mark had been using snapped Jack from his thoughts, and he perked, knowing dinner was ready. Another pan was on the burner next to the one that had been cooking the chicken, warmed up to warm their tortillas.

They both made their tacos, and sat together at the little bar in quiet. Jack couldn’t help but feel like there was a light tension, but not a bad one. More like one of anticipation. Now, Jack missed things sometimes, and considered himself stupid at times because of it, but he wasn’t completely oblivious or naïve. He knew Mark was eager to get ready for bed with him, and maybe even try for something, but Jack also knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t force it.

It seemed like barely any time passed before they had finished eating and cleaned up the mess, and were getting ready for bed. Jack was brushing his teeth while Mark changed into sleep pants and a t-shirt (too cold to go shirtless), and the younger man felt his heartbeat begin to race as he rinsed his mouth from the toothpaste. He tried to think of how things would go, but it was hard to tell, considering he didn’t know how Mark would go about it.

When he opened the door, Mark was plugging his phone in on the charger, but he looked up at hearing Jack come out of the bathroom. With a grin, the red-haired man passed by, going into the bathroom to brush his teeth, too, leaving the door open since Jack was already in sleep clothes. The green-haired man slid under the thick comforter, getting comfortable, and waited for his boyfriend to finish and join him.

‘ _Still a bit nervous, but I guess we’ll see how this goes,_ ’ he thought to himself.

Mark didn’t take long, turning off the bathroom light and joining Jack under the blankets, though he set something on the floor by the bed as he got under the covers. He wrapped his arms around the smaller man’s waist and tugged him close, kissing the top of his head and nuzzling the dyed locks as they lay on their sides facing each other.

Jack let him for a moment, getting the impression that Mark was giving him a chance to initiate. So, he tilted his head back to catch the larger man’s lips with his, kissing him tenderly. Mark was receptive, and his hands slid up Jack’s waist along his sides, ghosting over his ribs over his shirt. As they moved back down, those warm hands obviously hesitated at the hem of his shirt, as though waiting for permission before moving the article of clothing.

Pulling away from the kiss, Mark gazed at Jack in silent question.

“…I’m a bit nervous, but…I know you’ll make it feel good,” the younger whispered, blushing slightly and biting his lip.

“I’ll make you feel amazing, Jackaboy, don’t worry,” Mark promised, moving in to kiss him again, but hotly this time. Jack’s hands moved to grip his boyfriend’s shoulders, clinging to him with a whimper when Mark’s hands slipped under his shirt, thumbs stroking along his pale skin.

Mark traced his tongue along the seam of Jack’s lips, seeking entry, which the green-haired man readily gave. His warm hands skimmed over his ribs, pausing at his chest to flick at his nipples. Jack jerked back with a startled gasp, his face burning crimson from the shock of pleasure.

“Feel good?” the older man purred out, starting to tug Jack’s shirt up and off of him. The younger let him do so, and once his shirt was gone, he began to tug at Mark’s, wanting skin-on-skin contact. He wasn’t disappointed when his boyfriend hurriedly pulled his own shirt off.

While Jack let his hands roam over Mark’s warm, tan skin, appreciating the muscles rippling underneath more than ever, he soon felt the larger man’s fingers curl around the waistband of his sleep pants to take them off. The smaller man pulled away from where his face had been pressed into Mark’s shoulder, and nodded in answer to the wordless question.

As soon as he was completely bare to the red-haired man, a heavy groan rumbled from Mark’s chest.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, stroking his thumb along Jack’s hip. “I love you so much, Jack.”

“I love yeh, too, Mark,” Jack whispered, his accent noticeably thicker. Usually, it only happened when he was about ready to drop from exhaustion or if he was really pissed off about something. Now there was another reason.

“If you get scared or want to stop, tell me. I’ll stop, okay?” Mark promised.

“I highly doubt I’ll want ta stop,” the green-haired man snorted, quickly grabbing at his boyfriend’s sleep pants and yanking them down. His icy blue eyes widened in pleasant surprise when he saw Mark had been going commando, too. The scent of Mark’s arousal was already affecting him, and he moaned in response, feeling his dick throb with need.

The older man swooped in for a kiss, one that would have swept Jack off his feet had he been standing. The heat and desire behind it were incredible, and the younger man tried to keep up. A whine escaped him when Mark began to pump him, smearing some of the precum from the tip along his hand to make his movements easier.

Faintly, Jack heard the nightstand drawer being pulled open, followed by a click of a cap being opened. However, he jolted, tearing himself back from Mark with a sharp gasp when he felt a wet feeling from his ass.

“Are you okay?” Mark asked worriedly, his brow furrowed. His flush spreading down his shoulders, Jack couldn’t answer verbally. Instead, he took the hand holding a bottle of lube (already half-empty, surprisingly) and set the lube on the bed, then guided that hand down to his inner thighs. Mark blinked, startled, when he felt the wetness there.

“You’re self-lubricating?” he questioned, confused.

“I dunno why…” Jack whimpered, embarrassed, his gaze lowered. He knew this wasn’t normal. Men don’t do that. He knew it, and the little bit of online looking he’d done cemented that fact.

“It’s okay, Jack, I promise,” Mark soothed, tilting his head back up and kissing him. “I think it’ll be convenient in the future, then.” He chuckled when Jack’s flush darkened at the words, sliding his fingers through the slick substance along the pale thighs. They traced up to the smaller man’s rim, circling the muscle teasingly.

“I need you to relax, boo, or else it’s going to hurt,” the larger man urged, his other hand cupping Jack’s jaw and smoothing his thumb along his beard.

“Kinda hard ta relax when I know somethin’s goin’ in there…” the green-haired man mumbled.

“…I have an idea, then,” Mark smiled, withdrawing his hand. With gentle movements, he coaxed Jack into getting on his hands and knees. When he moved to get behind Jack, the smaller man looked back in confusion.

“Mark, wha…?” he started to ask, before cutting himself off when those large, warm hands spread his ass cheeks, exposing his wet hole to the air and making him shiver. What happened next caught him completely off guard.

“Oh, _FUCK!!_ ” Jack shouted, collapsing onto his elbows when Mark dragged his tongue over his hole. The pleasure he felt from that shot through him, racing through his spine and back like lightning. Moans, whines, whimpers, and cries escaped him incessantly while he was teased, Mark’s tongue circling his rim and lapping over it…before pushing into him.

The green-haired man’s back bowed in an arch, screaming from the unexpected spike of ecstasy before falling face-first into the pillows, unable to hold himself up anymore. It was far better than he would have thought had he thought about it prior to this. It was too much yet not enough at the same time, a strange ache making its presence known when his leaking cock throbbed with need.

Unable to say what he needed because of the noises he was making, Jack thought to Mark, ‘ _I need you, please…!_ ’

Despite that, he gave a dismayed sound when Mark pulled away, helping to turn Jack over onto his back. He gently spread the younger man’s legs before smearing the precum leaking from himself over his dick, and then lining himself up to press the head of his cock to Jack’s entrance.

“You ready, Jackaboy?” the red-haired man asked softly. Jack looked up at him, locking his gaze with Mark’s, and the level of passion and love behind those chocolate eyes was overwhelming.

Wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s neck, Jack pulled him down to rest on top of him, then whispered in his ear, “Make love to me.”

“I love you, Jack,” Mark murmured, and began to slowly push in. The smaller man tightened his grip around Mark’s neck at the pressure, gritting his teeth from the sheer sensation of _fullness_ he felt as Mark buried himself to the hilt.

Jack purred heavily at the multitude of sensations, the sound vibrating in his chest enough that Mark could feel it. The older man chuckled softly, the sound strained, making Jack look up at him. He could see how Mark was struggling to not move, trying to let him adjust so he wouldn’t cause any pain. It didn’t even hurt as much as Jack had thought it would, thankfully.

“Move, Mark,” he breathed, letting go of his neck. Mark raised himself up on his elbows, bracing against the bed so he wasn’t putting his full weight on Jack, drawing back until just the head was still in him, and then snapped his hips forward.

That first thrust tore a throaty moan from Jack’s chest and throat, his back arching off the bed as his fingers clawed at the sheets. The pure pleasure that crashed through him was immense, and it felt indescribable. All that ran through his mind was, ‘ _please, more, I need **more** …!_’

“I’ve got you, Jackaboy…” Mark grunted, keeping a swift, even rhythm with his thrusts. Jack whined loudly, his hands scrabbling to grip his boyfriend’s shoulders, his blunt nails biting into the skin once he had a solid hold. Mark hissed through his teeth at the sting, but kept up the quick thrusts.

Jack whimpered before pulling Mark down into a kiss, parting his lips immediately and meeting Mark’s tongue with his. The change forced Mark to switch from thrusting to smooth, deep rolls of his hips, and hitting a spot inside the younger man that blinded him with pleasure. He choked on a scream, throwing his head back against the pillows and squeezing his eyes shut tight.

“Found it~” Mark smirked breathlessly, taking advantage of Jack exposing his throat to nip and lick at the pale skin, leaving little marks in the process. This drew pleased mewls from Jack, even as that spot within him was struck repeatedly.

His moans became broken up from the force of Mark’s thrusts when the red-haired man raised himself onto his elbows again, now thrusting into him hard and deep to get them both to reach their orgasms. Jack felt that coil of heat in his belly tightening, his release racing towards him, and his grip on Mark’s shoulders tightened, almost drawing blood as his nails dug in deeper.

“M-Mark…p-please, g…gonna…” Jack tried to get the words out, but he couldn’t. All the sensations were amplified, the smells of their arousal and sex, the sounds of skin meeting skin with each thrust, the taste of Mark’s mouth on his, and the feeling of just pure love and lust from the older man all mixed together to make everything so intense.

A hot hand gripping his cock and stroking him made the coil snap, and he choked out Mark’s name before wailing in pure ecstasy. His cum spattered onto their stomachs and chests, and as he tightened around Mark’s cock, he heard his heavy groan as the larger man’s hips stilled while pressed against his ass, filling him with his release.

Mark barely managed to avoid dropping onto Jack, rolling them onto their sides while they caught their breath. The green-haired man gave small whines as he nuzzled into the hollow of Mark’s throat, purring contently in his post-coital bliss. He gave a dismayed noise when Mark pulled away to reach for something behind him, relaxing again as his lover (yes, lover, this was more than just boyfriends now) gently cleaned them both off with a damp washcloth.

“Love you, Markimoo…” Jack mumbled tiredly, cuddling close once he was wiped off. However, he tensed sharply as Mark started to pull out, grabbing his ass to stop him. “Don’t…!” he choked out, clear distress in the word.

“Shh…” Mark shushed him gently, adjusting so he was fully buried in him again. “I won’t, promise.” He wrapped his arms firmly around the smaller man, kissing him lovingly, tenderly, then backed away to gaze at Jack with pure love shining in his eyes. “I love you, too, Jackaboy. Get some sleep, boo. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Kay… G’night…” Jack yawned, snuggling into Mark’s chest as Mark buried his face into the green locks, inhaling deeply before relaxing as they fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't fully intend to make the chapter 10 pages, but it happened anyway. Besides, two smut scenes is nice, isn't it? XD

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I’m throwing this out here right here and now to give you guys SOMETHING to work off of as speculation: What Jack is will be MY version of an actual Irish mythological creature, so I’m adding/twisting a lot with the tale of it, but I’d LOVE to see what guesses you lovely readers can toss at me for ideas on what Jack is~


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